Horizon Aircraft Develops Hybrid-Electric VTOL Cavorite X7 for Remote Canadian Communities

Horizon Aircraft is developing a hybrid-electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, the Cavorite X7, at Lindsay airport in Ontario. Co-founder Brandon Robinson said it is one of the first of its kind in the world and could improve access to remote communities and help with search-and-rescue missions where landing space is limited. He described it as about twice as fast as a helicopter and cheaper and safer to own and operate.

A half-scale version has completed a full test programme, and the company is now building the full-size aircraft. It will carry six passengers and a pilot, fly at up to 450 kilometres per hour and have a range of up to 800 kilometres. Fans hidden inside the wings provide vertical lift; once airborne, the fans are covered and the aircraft flies forward like a conventional airplane. Take-off and landing are electric, and the batteries recharge in flight. The aircraft carries its own generator and does not need ground infrastructure to recharge.

Remote medevac is central to Horizon's business plan, aiming to connect hard-to-reach Indigenous communities in the North by delivering medical supplies or a surgeon, or extracting critically injured patients. The aircraft is designed to operate in forest fires, cold, snow and low-visibility conditions, allowing year-round service. Constance Lake First Nation, about 500 km northeast of Thunder Bay, has signed a memorandum of understanding with Horizon to advance a potential purchase. Robinson said building in Canada was intentional, citing the country's history of manufacturing and certifying commercial and military aircraft. Horizon plans to finish the full-size aircraft and begin testing by late spring or early summer, with certification possibly by 2030.