Honda Jet

Almost 30 years after his first visit to the world’s largest aviation convention, Fujino remembers its 500,000 attendees, its 10,000 aircraft and “being so impressed by the new aircraft and the new concepts. ” He says he’d never touched an aeroplane until he was in the United States, but soon after started decades of hard work and innovation that has culminated in the HondaJet.

At the unveiling ceremony, EAA chairman Jack Pelton, former Cessna CEO and president, remarked: “It has been fascinating to watch the development of the HondaJet from its original concept to the production aircraft shown here at Oshkosh. It is a tribute to the entire Honda team that made it possible. ” That team continues to grow in Greensboro, North Carolina where, Fujino says, nine aircraft are on the final assembly line.

First delivery next year is five years later than initially planned, but customers recognise it’s one of the few very light jets to survive theGreat Recession and that the world’s largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines is being very deliberate and careful with its first foray into winged travel.

The company behind Japan’s second-largest automotive manufacturer has reportedly invested more than US$1 billion in its jet, which teamed with General Electric to design a brand-new engine as well.

The HF118 engine was upgraded to the 2,050lb thrust HF120, which suffered a setback when icing led to minor damage to engine fan blades. Some early flight tests counted towards the aircraft’s certification, but most had to wait for the new engine. After a nearly year-long delay to certification, the redesigned HF120 earned FAA approval in December 2013, the same week Honda received Part 145 approval for its customer service facility.

One week later the HondaJetreceived its type inspection authorisation, which validates that the aircraft meets type design requirements and is ready for FAA pilots to perform flight tests required for type certification.

What specific issues remain are not being disclosed, neither by Fujino’s team nor the FAA. An FAA spokesperson relates how active testing and oversight have been. “FAA meets regularly with representatives of the Honda Aircraft Company to cooperate on the issues associated with the type certification application and continues to support the completion of the program,” he said. “The general airworthiness requirements are outlined in FAR Part 23. The specific performance or safety issues associated with this program should be referred to the Honda Aircraft Company. ” First delivery was initially expected in 2010. Delays in receiving proprietary Honda parts were blamed for pushing that to 2011. It was the first of many delays which may soon all be in the past.

Assembly of first production jets began in November 2012, with certification then expected for late 2013.

Whatever setbacks the program has faced, each has been overcome in turn, and customers and spectators remain compelled by the clever insights Fujino tested secretly for years.

Engines are mounted on the rear fuselage or beneath the wings, common convention has long held, but the HondaJet’s over-the-wing engine mount (OTWEM) configuration (reminiscent of the VFW-Fokker 614 regional jet of the 1970s) found the “sweet spot” that adds to its natural-laminar flow 4. 5m span wing and the sharply-pointed nose of its composite fuselage to improve efficiency. The over-the-wing engine position is said to make for a quieter cabin and minimises the aircraft’s ground noise footprint, while freeing up cabin space – Honda claims the roomiest cabin and largest baggage capacity in its class.

Flight testing has validated the listed cruise speed, which is the same as its listed maximum speed of 420kt (778km/h), making the HondaJet the fastest in its class by 15kt. It boasts a 1,180nm range with four passengers and a ceiling of 43,000ft. Takeoff performance is “less than” 1,220m. USD$4. 5 million is the current listed price, up from its original $3. 7 million price tag.

Fujino says a variety of colours are set in similar paint schemes. “The first production HondaJet displayed at AirVenture features the signature HondaJet paint scheme. This signature paint scheme offers five exterior colors in silver, red, yellow, blue and green. There will also be a standard paint scheme to appeal to customers with more conservative tastes,” he says. “We are also preparing for entry into service to provide the best service to HondaJet customers from day one. ” Company officials claim customers will enjoy fuel efficiency that’s 35 per cent greater than competing very light jets (or light jets, depending on who defines the categories).

Competitors which may want to mimic the over-the-wing engine design would have to overcome its patent protections, which played a role in HondaJet filing a takedown request with the open-source FlightGear simulator. In June, HondaJet lawyers surprised the software designers by claiming the jet’s design and appearance, along with the company logo and name, are protected by trademark laws.

It’s the only time an aircraft manufacturer has made such ademand of FlightGear, which was founded in 1997 and remains one of the oldest desktop flight simulators still in use.

Software in the HondaJet cockpit is cutting edge. A Hondacustomised Garmin G3000 nextgeneration, all-glass avionics system is composed of three 14in (35cm) landscape-format displays and dual touch screen controllers.

Pilots are eager to try out this new jet, but it can fly itself through almost anything.

In 2011, after four years of construction, HondaJet’s Greensboro factory was completed. An additional MRO facility broke ground a year later at Greensboro’s Piedmont Triad International Airport, bringing campus facilities up to more than 55,750m2 with R&D, production, administration and customer service facilities.

While nine aircraft are currently in assembly Fujino states: “Honda Aircraft Company’s production facility is capable of producing 80 to 100 units per year. We anticipate building approximately 50 aircraft in the first year. ” Since the company’s founding in 2006, HondaJet has been a $140 million capital investment for Greensboro.

Greenbsboro Partnership Economic Development president Dan Lynch says the jet manufacturer is a centerpiece of its growing aviation infrastructure, and he’s impressed with how Honda has weathered a turbulent economy. “What gets lost on a lot of folks, is they announced in 2006, started building their facilities in 2007 and then, of course, they ran into this buzzsaw we all ran into in 2008, 2009 and 2010, which impacted a lot of industries. ” He adds that more than 1,100 HondaJet employees make a noticeable impact on the local economy. “The company is very near and dear to us. We’re glad that they’re doing extremely well and should get that final certification in early 2015 and should be ready to start deliveries. ” The community in Greensboro is cooperating, Lynch explains; “The community college folks are handling their training. Our workforce development folks are helping them identify and recruit the talent they’re going to need. ” “We’re specifically targeting OEMs at the airport,” he adds, and sometimes a 3,000m runway isn’t enough. “We recently brought a new 9,000ft (2,750m) parallel runway online. We’re in the process of opening up about 600 acres of land for OEMs. ” Executive director of PTI Airport Kevin Baker said the Oshkosh debut was a milestone. “As is true with every one of our tenants, we try to work with them as best as possible, to work as a team.

We work as a partnership. In the case of Honda we did extend and are completing the extension of a taxiway to the end of a runway right now,” he explains.

What testing milestones remain and when they’ll be achieved may or may not be public knowledge, but few will miss the first delivery of an aircraft that’s already made a global impact.