| HA-420 HondaJet | |
|---|---|
| HondaJet in flight at Oshkosh in 2011 | |
| Role | Business jet |
| National origin | Japan |
| Manufacturer | Honda Aircraft Company[1] |
| Designer | Michimasa Fujino |
| First flight | 3 December 2003 |
| Introduction | 2011 [1] |
| Status | Under development |
| Number built | 3 prototypes |
| Unit cost | US$4.5 million [3] |
The Honda HA-420 HondaJet is the first general aviation aircraft developed by the Honda Motor Company.
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Honda began to study small sized business jets in the late 1980s, using engines from other manufacturers. The Honda MH02 was fabricated and assembled at Mississippi State University's Raspet Flight Research Laboratory in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The MH02 was a prototype using composites with an organic matrix.[2]
The HondaJet made its maiden flight in December 2003. It debuted to the public at the EAA AirVenture air show in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, in July 2005. On July 25, 2006, Honda returned to Oshkosh to announce it would commercialize the HondaJet. Honda established the Honda Aircraft Company to seek both type and production certification of the HondaJet. Production is to take place in the United States. The company began taking customer orders in the fall of 2006. The price was about $3.65 million US. The plan is to build 70 jets per year.
In August 2006 Honda and Piper Aircraft announced a partnership to market the HondaJet.[3]
In May 2010 major assembly of a type-conforming air-frame started. Components included the composite fuselage, metal wings, empennage, landing gear and over-the-wing-mounted engine pylons. Work was then in progress to integrate major systems, including electrical, hydraulic and environmental control. The first conforming engine was to be delivered in the third quarter of 2010 and be installed on the aircraft. Honda Aircraft planned to begin static testing of a conforming airframe in May 2010.[4]
The maiden flight of the first plane was scheduled for November 2010. Because of delays in some components, the flight actually took place on the 21st of December 2010.[5][6] FAA certification is expected to follow around August 2011. Delivery of the first plane is planned for the third quarter of 2012.[7]
Certification and delivery were delayed for a year by susceptibility to ice damage. [8]
Honda decided to go with an unusual over-the-wing podded engine configuration. This feature was developed on the innovative Vereinigte Flugtechnische Werke VFW-614 decades earlier. It allows for more space within the fuselage and reduces drag at high speeds. The fuselage itself is made from lightweight composite materials. The wings are made from structurally reinforced single sheets of aluminum.[5] The use of a single sheet allows for a smoother surface than more conventional methods. Design testing on wing shape and design were done on a T-33 Shooting Star, modified by AVTEL Services, Inc., and flight tested at the Mojave Airport. Honda began developing its own small turbofan engine, the HF118, in 1999. This led to the HF120, developed with GE Aviation under the GE Hondapartnership. The HF120 was test-flown both on a Cessna Citation and a modified Boeing 727-100. The engine features a single fan, a two-stage compressor and a two-stage turbine.
Honda claims that the combination of lightweight materials, aerodynamics and efficient engines gives the HondaJet as much as 35% higher fuel efficiency than similar aircraft.
The aircraft is equipped with a touchscreen 3-display Garmin G3000[5] glass cockpit system (i.e. most of the cockpit readouts are presented on flat-panel displays).
The aircraft will be made at Piedmont Triad International Airport, Greensboro, North Carolina, USA. The plant for making the aircraft was started in 2007 and will be completed by the end of 2011.[5][9] In July 2011 the Honda Company allowed members of the media to tour the facility, which was still under construction. At that time company representatives announced that certification was expected, and production of the airplane would begin late in 2012.[10]
In 2008 the Honda executives predicted that they would sell 70 planes per year.[11] In July 2011 they indicated their plan is to produce (and therefore sell) 70 to 100 planes per year.[12]
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Data from {Honda Aircraft Company}
General characteristics
Performance
Avionics
Garmin G3000 glass cockpit
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