At least 18 Simple Reasons Why to Invest in Horizon Helicopters Ltd and Its Autocopter
1. A totally new, unique and disruptive form of light helicopter that can be flown by anyone competent enough to drive a powerful car and is powered by either a battery or carbon-net-zero-fuelled gas turbine generator.
2. So simple and intuitive to fly that after one hour in a basic simulator anyone competent to drive a powerful car will know that he or she can fly one in great safety, and so possibly start the process of buying one. Gaining the necessary licence to fly it will be similarly easy and fast.
3. Designed from the start as an autonomous machine, so it’s fully able to fly itself.
4. A cockpit designed for single-pilot IFR flight and an aircraft that has Category A Certification, so enabling 24hr operation, even over built-up urban areas.
5. Totally ‘hands-off-flight’, take-off and landing, from one place to another, will be a common occurrence for regular users.
6. On gas turbine power the Autocopter will be a fast machine (220mph) with a long range (1,000 miles). Certification will be Category A.
7. On battery power it will for many designs be much slower (130mph) and with a much shorter range (150 miles).
8. Designed to fly smoothly in turbulent air, so Ideal for long-distance, comfortable flight.
9. Operated as an Urban Air Taxi, on gas turbine power its productivity will exceed that of the equivalent battery electric machine by a factor of 5.
10. Current target price is in the $800K to $1.2M range.
11. Target volumes in the range 1,000 to 1,500 per annum. The Autocopter will open up the market by virtue of the fact that almost any driver of a powerful and expensive car should be able to see it as a potential purchase.
12. Rapid high priority, autonomous or semi-autonomous freight operation carrying an economically attractive payload. Piloted or unpiloted military, police or casevac applications.
13. Remote pilotage will be available, even possibly for the owner, so that without people on board it can be ferried, shared with other owners and sent for service or even refuelling.
14. Production costs to be kept down by use of mainly automotive suppliers and parts.
15. Very low and simple maintenance requirements.
16. Horizon would like to generate spin-off revenue earlier than the typically 5 yrs it takes to create an aircraft. The most obvious candidate for this is the Autocopter’s high-efficiency gas turbine generator. Volkswagen, in the shape of Porsche and Bentley, is lobbying the EU strongly to allow cars fuelled by either synthetic kerosene or gasoline to escape the circa 2035 ban on sale of ICE-powered cars. The gas turbine could be sold into many markets sensitive to engine weight, cost, engine emissions and sustainability, e.g. automobiles, fixed-wing aircraft, yachts, trucks, standby power generators etc.
17. UK Government ATI R&D grant support of up to 50% could be available. The preceding reason would substantially improve its chances of obtaining this.
18. Development and the first production run will be covered by at least 4 rounds of investment, of increasing size and share value as the risk falls. The first will be small and should be aimed at a pre-digital certification approval of the aircraft.