Ontario-based helicopter operator, MRO service provider and pilot school Great Lakes Helicopter (GLH) has signed a letter of intent (LOI) with New Horizon Aircraft, a Canadian aerospace company developing the hybrid-electric eVTOL Cavorite X7.

Under the LOI, GLH intends to provide MRO services for the Cavorite X7 aircraft through its Rotor Services division and facilitate pilot training programmes to support future X7 operators. In addition, GLH intends to purchase a number of Cavorite X7 aircraft.

Chad McIntosh, managing director of Great Lakes Helicopter says: “At Great Lakes Helicopter, our vision extends beyond operating aircraft. We're a flight school and operator building the training, maintenance and operational infrastructure to support our operations and the clients we serve today, and this partnership with Horizon Aircraft is a natural extension of that work.”

The proposed partnership with GLH is intended to help establish the operational infrastructure needed as Horizon Aircraft advances the Cavorite X7 toward commercialisation. By combining MRO, aircraft operations and pilot training, GLH would be positioned to support future Cavorite X7 customers.

McIntosh continues: “We are building a new Rotor Services maintenance facility that will support next-generation platforms like the X7. Aircraft like this could open up faster, more reliable access to critical services for remote and underserved communities, and we want GLH's maintenance, training and operations expertise to be part of making that real.”

Horizon Aircraft co-founder and CEO Brandon Robinson adds: “Partnering with an experienced MRO and pilot training organisation like Great Lakes Helicopter is an important step as we build the ecosystem needed to support the Cavorite X7 and its future customers. With so many operators and communities poised to benefit from the X7's capabilities, having reliable maintenance and pilot training in place gives future customers a clearer path toward integrating our next-generation VTOL aircraft into their operations.”