Horizon
A compact vario and flight-awareness instrument built around calm audio, a portrait pilot display and glove-friendly physical controls.
Simple in flight · focused by design
VIRON Horizon · compact flight awareness
Less cockpit noise. More useful awareness.
Horizon is a compact, dedicated flight instrument for paragliding pilots—built around calm audio, glanceable information, physical controls, and honest field testing.
Audio-first awareness
3.5-inch portrait display
Four tactile controls
Flight logging foundation
BARO · GNSS · IMU
PHYSICAL CONTROLS
AUDIO-FIRST
VIRON flight instruments
One philosophy. Different kinds of flying.
The product family grows from a compact, focused instrument toward traffic awareness and larger map-based navigation—without turning every model into the same device.
Horizon XC
The same locked Horizon format, extended with XC communication and traffic awareness for pilots flying farther and in busier shared airspace.
Compact format · added traffic context
Core
A minimal displayless vario with no microphones. The VIRON companion app provides its visual interface.
No display · no microphones · app interface
Atlas
The largest and most fully equipped VIRON instrument, with maps, microphones and the broadest navigation and air-awareness feature set.
Maps · microphones · full capability
Horizon, explained
Built for the flight, not the specification sheet.
The goal is not to place every possible number on a small screen. Horizon should make the information that matters easier to notice, understand, and act on.
The product principleBefore flight: configurable.
Before flight: configurable.
During flight: obvious.
High-contrast information, tactile controls and deliberate audio behaviour are being developed together as one cockpit experience. The instrument should support the pilot’s attention—not compete for it.
Calm audio
Vario behaviour and alerts designed to inform without creating unnecessary urgency.
Glanceable screen
A portrait display with clear hierarchy and large, pilot-readable values.
Physical controls
Four tactile controls for predictable operation with gloves and in moving air.
Flight record
Local blackbox logging for testing, replay, diagnostics and post-flight understanding.
One connected system
Sense. Interpret. Communicate. Remember.
Horizon is being designed as a complete loop rather than a loose collection of sensors and screens.
Read the flight
Barometric pressure, GNSS and motion sensing provide the prototype’s primary flight inputs.
Reduce the noise
Filtering and state logic turn raw sensor data into more stable, useful behaviour.
Use the right channel
Audio carries continuous information while the display supports quick visual confirmation.
Keep the evidence
Blackbox data supports debugging, replay and transparent product validation.
Development status · 28 August 2026
One place for the build facts.
This is the factual engineering snapshot. Everything above explains the products; everything here records what has actually happened and what comes next.
5 PCBsFirst assembled four-layer Horizon batch received and brought up
3.5-inchFirst portrait-display image produced on Horizon hardware
44 FNSFresh movement messages transmitted to XC and acknowledged
0 staleNo stale candidate sent after movement stopped
Locked lookShared Horizon and Horizon XC product appearance selected
Horizon BetaBoardThe custom PCBs power up, accept firmware and drive the development display
Bring-up passed3.5-inch portrait displayFirst image output passed on Horizon hardware; full driver, resolution and UI work continues
First output passedHorizon XC communicationOperational GNSS position messages were transmitted during movement and acknowledged by the XC module
Link validatedHorizon / Horizon XC exteriorThe shared product appearance is locked; internal fit and production enclosure engineering continue
Look lockedSubsystem qualificationCharging, current consumption, sensors, GNSS, audio, storage, Bluetooth, controls and endurance
ActiveLive over-the-air traffic validationTwo-unit testing will verify real target reception and traffic presentation
Next XC milestoneEnclosure and controlled pilot testingBegins after the relevant bench checks and product-like assembly are ready
Next phaseWhat is proven—and what is not: PCB bring-up, first 3.5-inch display output and the wired Horizon-to-XC communication path have passed. Live traffic detection, the production enclosure, endurance and controlled-flight validation are still ahead.
Dated development notes
The detailed log stays here too.
Updates remain available for readers who want the engineering detail, without spreading build status across the rest of the page.
The Horizon product appearance is locked.
The exterior shown above is now the selected product look for both Horizon and Horizon XC: a 3.5-inch portrait display, four physical side controls and the same compact visual identity.
“Look locked” describes the product appearance. Internal packaging, fit tolerances, manufacturing details and validation may still be refined before production.
Operational Horizon-to-XC communication is working.
Movement testing activated live GNSS position transmission from Horizon to the XC module. Forty-four fresh #FNS messages were transmitted and acknowledged, with no write failures or stale-position sends after movement stopped.
This proves the operational wired communication path. Live over-the-air traffic detection has not yet been demonstrated and remains the next major XC test.
The new 3.5-inch portrait display is alive.
The first successful image has been produced on the new 3.5-inch display using real Horizon hardware.
The electrical bring-up milestone is complete. Full driver integration, correct resolution and interface optimisation continue before display validation is finished.
The first Horizon PCBs passed initial bring-up.
The first batch contains five assembled four-layer Horizon PCBs. They power up, accept firmware and run the development display.
These are engineering units, not sale units. Deeper validation of charging, sensors, GNSS, audio, storage, Bluetooth, controls and endurance continues before enclosure and flight testing.
The companion app becomes VIRON Flight Lab.
The companion experience now goes beyond a device status screen. A repeatable simulation layer can drive the same telemetry pipeline used by the real instrument.
That creates a safer place to test flight states, alerts, maps and interface decisions before taking changes into real air.
Known pilots first. Structured evidence every time.
The first assembled units will go to selected pilots who can explain what happened in flight and separate personal preference from a repeatable usability issue.
Ground checks, independent backup instruments, defined scenarios and post-flight logs will be part of the testing process.
Companion experience
VIRON Flight Lab
The instrument does not end at the instrument.
The companion experience uses the same telemetry path as Horizon and adds a deterministic flight simulation environment. That allows interface, audio and flight-state behaviour to be explored before every change is taken into real air.
- Bluetooth connection and live device telemetry
- Repeatable flight scenarios for interface testing
- Clear separation between live, simulated, cached and unavailable data
- Foundation for post-flight review and future device support
Controlled pilot testing
Known pilots first. Structured evidence every time.
The first units will go to selected pilots who can test honestly, explain what happened in flight, and help distinguish personal preference from a real usability problem.
Every test unit will be treated as development hardware. Horizon will not replace certified flight, navigation or traffic equipment.
Qualification gate
Only assembled units that pass the relevant bench, power and interface checks move toward field evaluation.
Ground evaluation
Readability, button use, audio levels, mounting and workflow tested without adding flight risk.
Controlled flights
Defined scenarios, independent backup instruments and structured post-flight reports.
Evidence review
Logs, faults and pilot observations become design decisions, not promotional quotes by default.
V/
“The useful story is not that a pilot wanted to build a device. It is whether the device makes flying calmer, clearer and more understandable.”
VIRON Labs is an independent development-stage hardware project from Slovenia. Horizon is being built from real paragliding experience, embedded engineering and a commitment to earn every product claim through testing.
Pilot beta interest
Help shape what Horizon becomes.
We are building a small, controlled group of pilots interested in development updates, critical feedback and—when the hardware is ready—structured prototype testing.
Joining the list is not a preorder and does not guarantee a test unit, commercial availability or a delivery date.