Horizon Aircraft has announce it has been awarded a INSAT programme (The Initiative for Sustainable Aviation Technology) non-dilutive grant to help fund ‘CRYSTAL’, an all-weather eVTOL project in partnership with Flight Centre of Excellence (dba Certification Center Canada,”3C”) and the University of Toronto (“UofT”). CRYSTAL has an estimated total expenditure of CD10.5 million, and Horizon Aircraft will receive CD2.0 million in grant proceeds.
Project CRYSTAL (Canadian Research Yielding SusTainable All-weather Lift system) will focus on developing and testing an all-weather vertical propulsion system for eVTOL aircraft like Horizon Aircraft’s hybrid eVTOL, the Cavorite X7. The first phase of the project will focus on characterizing advanced ice detection technologies and protective technologies such as ice-phobic and electrothermal coating solutions developed by UofT. With support from 3C, the second phase will focus on testing and analyzing the viability of the technologies on the Cavorite X7.
Vice President of Business Development at 3C, Phil Cole, stated, “Project CRYSTAL is profoundly important, not only to our partners in this project at Horizon Aircraft and UofT, but potentially to any traditional fixed wing or rotary wing air vehicle, advanced air mobility vehicle and drone that wishes to operate in climactic conditions that could lead to the accretion of ice.”
Most helicopters cannot operate in known icing conditions due to a risk of ice forming on rotor blades or in engine inlets, which can lead to severe vibrations, decreased stability, power failure, and loss of lift, according to a press release. Despite these prohibitive operating limitations, helicopters currently play an important role globally, flying critical missions such as medevac, disaster relief, and in the Defence sector. Developing an all-weather eVTOL that is safer, faster, more economical, and better for the environment, like the Cavorite X7, could provide a better solution for executing a wide range of important operations.
Horizon Aircraft plans to certify the Cavorite X7 for Flight Into Known Icing (FIKI), a rare certification across early concept eVTOLs and helicopters in the market.
For more information
https://feeds.issuerdirect.com/news-release.html?newsid=8724753894317255&symbol=HOVR
Image: (Left to Right): Phil Cole (VP Business Development, 3C), Brandon Robinson (Co-Founder & CEO, Horizon Aircraft), Prof. Ali Dolatabadi (Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering, UofT), Michel Dion (CEO, Strix), Denis Godin (CTO & Deputy CEO, Strix) and Jason O’Neill (COO, Horizon Aircraft)