Summary

  • The Halcón 2 is Mexico’s first aircraft in 70 years, priced at MX $2.7 million.
  • The Mexican company Horizontec aims to create an aviation industry in the country.
  • The Halcón 2 was successfully flown on an experimental flight on February 24, 2024.

Mexico has now built its first aircraft in 70 years. The Mexican company Horizontec has successfully built a small light sport aircraft and hopes this could start a Mexican aviation industry.

Halcón 2 under construction

Photo: Horizontec

Mexico is the main aviation market in Latin America. However, it lacks a domestic aviation industry capable of developing and building aircraft. Conversely, Brazil is home to Embraer (the third-largest airline company after Boeing and Airbus), and few other countries in Latin America produce aircraft.

Halcón 2: Mexico’s first aircraft

The Halcón 2 may look like a small and humble aircraft, but for Mexico, it represents the first 100% Mexican airplane in 70 years. Halcón 2 (or Falcon in English) is being built by the small Mexico-based aviation company Horizontec. The Halcon 2 can now be purchased for around MX$ 2.7 million or around $160,000.

Horizontec's Halcón 2 taking flight

Photo: Horizontec

The Halcón 2 is a two-seat, light sport aircraft made of composite materials. It is powered by a 141hp Rotax 915is engine. The Horizontec website says it is “versatile, safe, and easy to pilot.”

Halcón 2 Specs

Type:

Light sports aircraft

Length:

6.1 meters

Wingspan:

9.4 meters

Use:

Pilot training, aerial surveillance, recreational flights

Engine:

Rotax 915is engine

Airworthy Certificate:

in process

The Halcón 2 is intended for flight schools and to train Mexico’s future pilots. It can also be used for aerial surveillance and recreational flights. The aircraft’s website states that the Halcón 2 is currently being certified by the Mexican Federal Civil Aeronautics Agency. Horizontec is also pursuing United States certification to sell it internationally.

Horizontec's Halcón 2

Photo: Horizontec

The company is focused on designing, developing, and manufacturing aircraft in Mexico. It seeks to combine cutting-edge technologies with composite materials. The CEO has noted that it isn’t easy to construct aircraft out of composite materials, and few companies use them. Composite materials make aircraft significantly lighter.

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Halcón 2’s experimental flight

A historic flight for Halcón 2 was held at the Atizapan Airport (officially the Jorge Jimenez Cantu National Airport). The aircraft took to the skies on February 24, 2024, in an experimental flight in the presence of Mexican authorities from the Ministries of National Defense and Navy, the Federal Civil Aviation Agency (AFAC), and the former Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard Casaubon. Dozens of other guests also gathered to watch the aircraft take flight.

“This is a very important achievement since a technological product was created in Mexico using tools of the future, especially from simulation and with materials from the aerospace era.” Horizontec CEO Giovanni Angelucci Carrasco

The CEO of Horizontec, Giovanni Angelucci Carrasco, said the small aircraft was “A dream come true.” According to Mexico Now, the aircraft is part of Carrasco’s dream for Mexico to one day join the aircraft manufacturing industry. Angelucci has stated:

Halcon’s project model is an ideal asset for the more than 150 aviation schools… given its safety measures for both the pilots and the prototype.

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Mexico’s startup Horizontec

Horizontec was founded in 2014 by partners Giovanni Angelucci and Eduardo Carrasco, who shared a passion for flying. The startup’s first aircraft was the wooden Halcon 1. The Halcon 1 has a maximum takeoff weight of 600 kilograms or 1,300 lbs and a 222 km/h or 138 mph speed. It first flew on September 30, 2017, demonstrating that the fledging company could build aircraft. Steam Community somewhat eloquently said:

The Halcón 2 is a remarkable achievement in Mexico’s aviation history. After 70 years without a domestically designed and produced aircraft, Horizontec emerged in 2014 to change the narrative.”

Horizontec startup company:

Founded:

2014

Aircraft:

Halcon 1 & Halcon 2

Location:

Celaya, Guanajuato, Mexico

Mexican leaders also have strong opinions on the manufacturer’s success. During the inauguration of Horizontec’s new plant a couple of years ago, the Governor of Guanajuato said:

The Halcón 2 aims to address the needs of Mexican aviation by offering competitive advantages such as efficiency, low flight-hour costs, ergonomics and safety during flight. Besides, it is composed of quality materials and well-designed.

Designing and building an aircraft in a country lacking a developed aviation industry has been difficult for Horizontec. Initially, the company struggled to find suppliers of quality materials and qualified professionals. But perhaps the regulatory environment of Mexico will adapt, and perhaps it will be easier next time.

Mexico Business News reported in 2022 that Mexican regulations have gaps that make the certification process more difficult. Lacking a domestic industry, the regulations force companies to show an import certificate (something Horizontec can’t do because it uses local supplies). Getting the Halcon 1 certification was a tedious process.

 Halcón 2 Cockpit view

Photo: Horizontec

Brazil is Latin America’s aviation heavyweight, where Embraer aircraft are built and exported worldwide (Embraer was once a startup, too). Time will tell if Mexico can develop its own robust industry, but for now, Mexico is celebrating its first aircraft in 70 years.

What are your thoughts on this young manufacturer? Let us know in the comments!

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