The simulator and economics views are driven by a single sourced dataset. Every value below is tagged with one of four provenance levels — verified proxy target unknown — so you can see exactly which numbers carry the weight of public filings, which lean on operator-class proxies, and which are still the manufacturer's own forecast pending real-world validation.
| Specification | Value | Source & provenance |
|---|---|---|
| HOVR Cavorite X7 — Horizon Aircraft | ||
| Architecture | Hybrid-electric | verifiedhorizonaircraft.com product page |
| Cert. status | Pre-flight test, full-scale 2027 target | verifiedCTO interview, AIN, Mar 2026 |
| MTOW | 6,000 lb | verifiedhorizonaircraft.com |
| Pax capacity | 6 | verifiedhorizonaircraft.com |
| Cruise speed | 230 mph | verifiedhorizonaircraft.com |
| Top speed | 280 mph | verifiedhorizonaircraft.com — used for arrival-time and simulator calculations |
| Range | 500 mi | verifiedhorizonaircraft.com |
| Battery use per VTO | 11% | verifiedCTO AIN interview Mar 2026 |
| VTOs per charge | 9 | verifiedCTO AIN interview Mar 2026 |
| In-flight recharge | 10 min | verifiedCTO AIN interview Mar 2026 |
| Cruise fuel burn | 55 gph | proxyPT6A-67P (PC-12 NG class) cruise burn — HOVR has not announced PT6A variant. PT6A range across variants is ~30–90 gph, so this is the midpoint best-guess. |
| PT6A variant | Not announced | unknownHOVR confirms "PT6A pusher prop" but customer choice on variant. PT6A-21 (550 shp) to PT6A-67 (1,700 shp) is a 3× range — affects fuel burn dramatically. |
| Maintenance reserve | $270 / hr | proxyPT6A operating cost references (turbine engine reserves, helicopter operator class) |
| Engine reserve | $260 / hr | proxyPT6A overhaul reserves — typical $400/hr split between maint + engine for hot-section + overhaul |
| Pilot cost | $100 / hr | proxyTurbine commercial pilot rate, lower than Joby's $176/hr (different aircraft class assumption) |
| Landing fees | $50 / hr | proxyOperator-class average for VTOL ops |
| Insurance | $80 / hr | proxyOperator-class hourly insurance cost |
| Battery kWh | Not disclosed | unknownHOVR confirms 400 lb battery + 11% per VTO + 9 VTOs/charge but not kWh capacity |
| Reserve threshold | ~20% fuel | proxyAviation standard — HOVR has not published reserve policy |
| In-flight regen rate | ~15 mi cruise per VTO event regenerated | proxyEstimated from CTO's "few minutes" recharge comment × 230 mph cruise. Affects how quickly HOVR's VTO budget refills. |
| List price | $10,000,000 | verifiedCEO interview statements 2025–2026 |
| Cost / seat-mile | $0.97 | targetKPMG independent assessment, commissioned by HOVR |
| Joby S4 — Joby Aviation | ||
| Architecture | Pure electric | verifiedjobyaviation.com |
| Cert. status | FAA Stage 4 cleared (Mar 2026) | verifiedFAA Federal Register |
| MTOW | 4,800 lb | verifiedFAA Federal Register |
| Pax capacity | 4 + pilot | verifiedjobyaviation.com |
| Cruise speed | 200 mph | verifiedAircraft Insider Mar 2026 |
| Top speed | 202 mph | verifiedJoby published max — used for arrival-time and simulator calculations |
| Range | 150 mi | verifiedAircraft Insider Mar 2026 |
| Ground recharge | 18 min | verifiedAircraft Insider Mar 2026 |
| Battery | ~165 kWh | proxyEV Database third-party estimate, range 150–180 kWh — Joby has not published |
| Energy cost | $104 / hr | proxyDerived: $0.13/seat-mile × 4 seats × 200 mph cruise (component of $0.86 target) |
| Pilot cost | $176 / hr | proxyDerived: $0.22/seat-mile × 4 seats × 200 mph (component of $0.86 target) |
| Maintenance | $152 / hr | proxyDerived: $0.19/seat-mile × 4 seats × 200 mph (component of $0.86 target) |
| Landing fees | $88 / hr | proxyDerived: $0.11/seat-mile × 4 seats × 200 mph (component of $0.86 target) |
| Other ops | $168 / hr | proxyDerived: $0.21/seat-mile × 4 seats × 200 mph (infra + other components of $0.86 target) |
| Reserve threshold | ~20% battery | proxyAviation standard — Joby has not published reserve policy |
| Battery replacement | $50,000 (10,000 cycles) | proxyAviation Week range $16.5K–$82.5K, midpoint |
| List price | $1,300,000 | target2021 analyst day disclosure |
| Cost / seat-mile | $0.86 | target2021 analyst day; assumes 40 flights/day |
Each mission below is an actual operator announcement, press release, or stated target market. No invented routes.
| Mission | Distance | Avg pax | Fare / seat | Source |
|---|
Each flight cycle is decomposed into VTOL up (3 min), cruise at the aircraft's published speed, descent (3 min), turnaround (mission-specific), and — for Joby only — ground recharge (18 min). Cost-per-flight is the sum of the breakdown bars on the previous page; revenue is fare × average pax (or flat fare for cargo / medevac). Annual figures assume 330 operating days, 12 hours per day, and exclude downtime for scheduled maintenance and weather. Fleet payback is capex divided by fleet annual profit at the chosen utilization. The simulator animates at one simulated minute per real second.
One "VTO event" = a single hover phase (takeoff or landing). A complete flight = 2 VTO events. Each VTO consumes 11% of HOVR's battery (sourced). Maximum 9 VTO events on a full charge (sourced). During cruise, the PT6A regenerates the battery at a proxy rate of ~15 mi cruise per VTO event — estimated from CTO's "few minutes" recharge comment × 230 mph cruise. The VTO counter caps at 9.
Joby drains battery linearly across its 150-mi range during cruise. Each VTO event consumes 11% (proxy from HOVR's published value — Joby has not disclosed). Reserve threshold of ~20% triggers a warning; below 20% the aircraft is "in reserve". After landing, ground recharge takes 18 min (sourced) before the aircraft can fly again.
Joby's 2021 analyst day disclosed a single number: $0.86/seat-mile as the all-in operating cost target at 40 flights/day utilization. The component breakdown ($0.13 energy + $0.22 pilot + $0.19 maintenance + $0.11 landing + $0.21 other) is the industry-standard decomposition for an electric VTOL operating at urban ranges — it produces the sourced $0.86 total when summed. To convert to per-hour rates for the simulator, each component is multiplied by 4 seats and 200 mph cruise. The total is sourced; the split is reasoning, not Joby's published numbers.
HOVR's $0.97/seat-mile target was assessed by KPMG. The component breakdown in the simulator (fuel + pilot + maintenance + engine reserve + landing + insurance) uses operator-class PT6A turbine references because HOVR has not published a cost component breakdown. The total roughly matches the $0.97 target; individual line items are estimates that should not be treated as HOVR's published numbers.
HOVR has confirmed the X7 uses a Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A pusher prop but has stated the specific variant is customer choice. The PT6A family ranges from PT6A-21 (550 shp, ~30–40 gph) to PT6A-67 (1,700 shp, ~70–90 gph) — a 3× spread in fuel burn. The simulator uses 55 gph as a midpoint best-guess from the PT6A-67P (PC-12 NG class) which closely matches HOVR's 6,000 lb MTOW and 230 mph cruise profile. Real fuel burn could be 30–70% lower or 30–70% higher than this proxy depending on actual variant selection.