Vertical Take Off and Landing (VTOL) aircraft is not new. So is eVTOL with wings loaded with vertical lift rotors. But Cavorite X5 eVTOL from Canadian aerospace company is not the regular wings-with-vertical-lift rotors VTOL. It has a patents-pending wing system, a fan-in-wing design, that promised “highly efficient operational flight.”
In fact, Cavorite X5 eVTOL looks and flies just like a regular fixed wing aircraft. The magic lies in the wings and winglets that have surfaces that slide open to reveal the vertical lift rotors. When in forward flight, the surfaces close and thereby achieving maximum aerodynamic performance.
The Cavorite X5 eVTOL is a hybrid aircraft too, featuring redundant electric and gas engines. It can continue to function even when it loses a lift fan. It can also put you and four other passengers safely down on solid ground even if the main drive motor fails because, there’s a built-in backup – a range-extender motor.
Cavorite X5 eVTOL is designed to carry four passengers and a pilot and it has a wingspan of 15.3 meters (50.3 feet) and stretches jut 11.6 meters (38 feet) long. Since it is a VTOL, it requires no runaway.
The gas + electric engines afford it with a vertical payload of 363 kilograms (800 lbs), or 635 kilograms (1,400 lbs) using conventional takeoff. It has a maximum cruise speed of 350 km/h (190 knots) and offers a range of 500 kilometers (270 nautical miles).
To put its speed in perspective, an average helicopter can reached 130-140 knots (240-260 km/h), or 160 knots (296 km/h) in some models. This means the speed this upcoming eVTOL sits somewhere between a helicopter and a small private jet. Not the quickest, but it will be good for the environment.
Horizon Aircraft Cavorite X5 eVTOL is suited for disaster relief, medical evacuation, cargo transport as well as air tax service.
Images: Horizon Aircraft.
Hat tip: New Atlas.
