• Board Announced in Anticipation of January 2024 Merger Between Horizon Aircraft and Pono Capital Three, Inc.
  • Horizon’s Chief Executive Officer Brandon Robinson Appointed Chairman
  • Board Consists of Experienced Leaders in the Aviation and Innovative Technology Industries with Traditional Corporate Business Management 

Toronto. 03 January 2024 . Robinson Aircraft Ltd., doing business as Horizon Aircraft (“Horizon Aircraft” or the “Company”), a hybrid electric Vertical TakeOff and Landing (“eVTOL”) aircraft developer, which previously announced that it would  become a public company via a business combination with publicly-traded special purpose acquisition company, Pono Capital Three, Inc. (“Pono”)(Nasdaq: PTHR), today announced its Board of Directors, effective at the closing of its business combination.

The post-merger Horizon Aircraft Board of Directors will be led by Brandon Robinson, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Horizon and is comprised of five (5) directors that bring considerable field operations, corporate governance and executive management experience across the aviation and technology sectors.

Brandon Robinson, Founder, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Horizon Aircraft commented, “We are grateful to have inspired both experienced public and private company executives to help shape the trajectory of Horizon Aircraft. Each member brings distinct operating skills that will help us execute sharply as we move into 2024. I look forward to working in partnership with this elite group to continue the development of our groundbreaking technology.”

The composition of the post-merger Horizon Aircraft Board of Directors includes:

Brandon Robinson, Founder, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman 

Brandon is the co-founder and CEO of Horizon Aircraft. Prior to the launch of Horizon Aircraft, Brandon flew CF-18s in the Royal Canadian Air Force for nearly 20 years and had the distinction of graduating from the Canadian Top Gun training school. In the final years of his military career Brandon was entrusted with managing major capital projects totaling over $4B, was involved in the acquisition of the F-35 and helped design the strategic plan to extend the functional life of the CF-18.

Brandon has a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering from Royal Military College, an MBA from Royal Roads University, has co-authored several successful aerospace patents, and holds an Airline Transport Pilots License. His deep operational experience alongside a passion for technical innovation has propelled Horizon Aircraft to the forefront of the Advanced Air Mobility movement.

Jason O’Neill, Chief Operating Officer and Director 

With more than 20 years of senior leadership experience, Mr. O’Neill brings a wealth of knowledge focused on launching products, scaling teams, effectively managing capital, and ensuring the security of organizational processes and data. He has managed multi-million dollar projects across healthcare, finance, and smart cities, and has navigated enterprise strategy vital to the highly regulated aerospace industry. Mr. O’Neill is especially successful serving as a calming force for the chaos inherent in fast moving, high-tech environments.

From 1999 to 2011, Mr. O’Neill served as the Director of Product and Strategy at Centtric providing sales, marketing, and product strategy support to fuel the company’s growth trajectory. Mr. O’Neill joined ThoughtWire from 2012 to 2021, exiting as the Director of Product and Data, with his tenure focused on providing digital twin solutions for companies in the Healthcare and Smart Buildings industries.

Trisha Nomura, Independent Director 

Trisha Nomura serves as an independent director and chairperson of the Audit Committee of Horizon Aircraft. Ms. Nomura currently serves as an independent director of the boards of each of Pono and Pono Capital Two, Inc. (NASDAQ: PTWO), and serves as the chairperson of Pono’s Audit Committee. In 2018, Ms. Nomura became the owner and operator of consulting firm, Ascend Consulting, LLC. Prior to Ascend, Ms. Nomura served as the Chief People Officer of ProService Hawaii. From 2014 through 2016, Ms. Nomura held rank at HiHR as the Chief Operating Officer, a promotion from her prior role as the Vice President of Strategic Services.

Ms. Nomura is a CPA, not in public practice, and a CGMA. Ms. Nomura earned her Master of Accountancy degree at the University of Hawaii at Manoa and her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in accounting from Creighton University.

John Maris, Ph.D., Independent Director

John Maris serves as an independent director of Horizon Aircraft. Since 2008, Dr. Maris has held the role of Chief Executive Officer of Advanced Aerospace Solutions, LLC (“Advanced Aerospace”), serving as the principal flight-test investigator and test pilot for NASA’s Traffic Aware Strategic Aircrew Request technology. Since 1995, Dr. Maris has also served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Marinvent Corporation, a company established to develop procedures and technologies to increase the efficiency and reduce the risk of aeronautical programs. From 1993 to 1995, Dr. Maris served as the Mobile Servicing System Control Equipment Manager for the International Space Station for the Canadian Space Agency. Prior to his tenure with the Canadian Space Agency, Dr. Maris was a project officer and experimental test pilot for the Canadian Department of National Defense.

Dr. Maris is a veteran of the Royal Canadian Air Force and graduated from the United States Air Force Test Pilot Course at Edwards Air Force Base in California. Dr. Maris received his Ph.D. from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University (“ERAU”), earning his doctorate in Aviation Safety and Human Factors. Dr. Maris also holds a Master of Aeronautical Science degree and a Master of Aviation Management degree, both with Distinction, from ERAU.

John Pinsent, Independent Director

John Pinsent serves as an independent director of Horizon Aircraft. In 2004, Mr. Pinsent founded St. Arnaud Pinsent Steman Chartered Professional Accountants (“SPS”), a chartered professional accounting firm based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Prior to SPS, Mr. Pinsent worked for ten years at Ernst & Young LLP, earning his Chartered Accountants designation in 1996. From 1986 to 1994, Mr. Pinsent served as the Controller and Vice President Finance of an Alberta based international retail organization.

Mr. Pinsent earned his Bachelor of Education and Bachelor of Commerce (AD) degrees at the University of Alberta, has an ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors and became a Forensic Certified Public Accountant in 2013. Mr. Pinsent serves as a board member of Enterprise Group, Inc. (TSX: E.TO), a Toronto Stock Exchange public company that provides specialized equipment and services in the build out of infrastructure for energy, pipeline, and construction industries. He also sits on the board of directors of several private companies and supports numerous non-profit and philanthropic initiatives.

About Horizon Aircraft

Horizon Aircraft is an advanced aerospace engineering company that is developing one of the world’s first hybrid eVTOL that is to be able to fly most of its mission exactly like a normal aircraft while offering industry-leading speed, range, and operational utility. Horizon’s unique designs put the mission first and prioritize safety, performance, and utility. Horizon hopes to successfully complete testing and certification of its Cavorite X7 eVTOL quickly and then enter the market and service a broad spectrum of early use cases. Visit www.horizonaircraft.com for more information.

About Pono Capital Three, Inc.

Pono is a special purpose acquisition company whose business purpose is to effect a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities. Pono’s units started trading on the Nasdaq Global Market on February 14, 2023, under the ticker symbol “PTHRU.” The Class A common stock trades under the symbol “PTHR” and the warrants under the symbol “PTHRW,” respectively.

Advisors 

Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP is serving as U.S. legal counsel and Fang and Associates is serving as Canadian legal counsel to Pono in the transaction. Dorsey & Whitney LLP is serving as U.S. legal counsel and Gowling WLG (Canada) LLP is serving as Canadian legal counsel to Horizon Aircraft in the transaction. EF Hutton LLC is serving as the Capital Markets Advisor in the transaction.