Horizon Aircraft, a developer of hybrid electric vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aerial vehicles, recently completed initial transition flight testing of its Cavorite X5 50% scale eVTOL prototype in the world-class ACE Climatic Wind Tunnel at Ontario Tech University.
Brandon Robinson, Horizon’s CEO, said: “Aircraft performance exceeded our expectation. We explored forward speeds of up to almost 100kph, measuring aerodynamic forces, control authority, and mechanical system function with the wings open at varying fan speeds. We were particularly happy with pitch and roll stability and control throughout the entire transition envelope, as well as the embedded fan performance.
“Having real-world test results match our detailed predictions was further endorsement of our world-class engineering. We can now use these results to refine our CFD (computational fluid dynamics) modelling and further de-risk the outdoor transition flight test program that is beginning soon.”
Horizon’s patented hybrid eVTOL concept allows the aircraft to fly 98% of its mission in a very-low-drag configuration, like a traditional aircraft, and is one of the only eVTOL aircraft currently able to do so. The company says that flying most of the mission as a normal aircraft is safer, more efficient, and will be easier to certify than ‘radical new eVTOL designs’.
The aircraft can also operate in short take-off and landing (STOL) or conventional take-off and landing (CTOL) modes. The full-scale aircraft will be powered by a hybrid electric architecture that can recharge the battery array in-flight while providing additional system redundancy and flexibility. Horizon will move to outdoor transition flight testing shortly, and anticipates final assembly of its full-scale aircraft for flight testing in 2025.