Honda Cars : Behind the scenes with Honda Aircraft's CEO | 2013 New Honda Car Reviews 0

Michimasa Fujino, the CEO of Honda Aircraft Co., is an avid sports fan and history buff.

by Katie Arcieri

Have you heard of Honda Aircraft Co.? If so, then you’ve likely also heard the name Michimasa Fujino, the Japanese-born president and CEO of the Greensboro-based company and the mastermind behind the $4.5 million lightweight business jet now being produced at the Piedmont Triad International Airport.

Late last year, I had the rare occasion to sit down with Fujino, one of the subjects of our 10 to Watch edition that's published Friday. Make no mistake, Fujino works a lot. But he does have several interests outside of work and I was also able to glean some personal details about Fujino during the interview.

Among them? Fujino is an avid sports fan who played basketball as a youth in Japan and at one point had aspirations to become a professional table-tennis player.

"I practiced several hours a day because I wanted to be a professional," he said.
And sports continues to be a passion.

"I'm kind of sports nuts," Fujino joked. "My children say please don’t talk about sports at home."
Since arriving in the United States, Fujino has also developed an appreciation of Japanese history and has been reading more on the topic.

"My father was a history professor," he says. "When I was young I didn’t know what he was doing or why he chose history."

History, Fujino says, helps provide insights for his decisions today. That fits in with his decision-making process, one that is based on facts and not feelings.

“The probability of success increases if you take a logical step," he says. “I am not looking for big success or big fortune in one day.”

Want to know more about Fujino? Check out the 10 to Watch edition of The Business Journal, published on Friday.

Source;
http://www.bizjournals.com/triad/news/2013/01/02/behind-the-scenes-with-honda-aircraft.html

Honda Cars : One Pricey ‘Civic’: Honda Starts Production of $4.5 Million Airplane | 2013 New Honda Car Reviews 0

Honda said its production line will be able to turn out 80 planes in a year.

By Jonathan Welsh

For years people squawked about the roughly $80,000 price of the first-generation Acura NSX, an exotic sports car from Honda Motor Co.’s luxury-car division. Who would pay so much for what is, in the end, “just a Honda?”

Well, how does $4.5 million sound – for what some people call a Civic?

Honda said its aircraft unit has begun production of the HondaJet, a twin-engine light jet aircraft designed for the business and personal-transport market. Some insiders have called the plane the Civic of the skies in part because it incorporates design and manufacturing techniques used to build the company’s Civic economy car.

In flipping the switch on its jet assembly line, Honda is marking another milestone on the way to FAA certification and delivery to customers. The jet, which has a number of unique design features, made its first flight in late 2010 and reached a top speed of 489 mph in testing early the following year.

Back then Honda said it would begin production in 2012 and and deliver the jet to its first customer in the third quarter of the same year. So the company missed the second goal. But in the plane business that’s not necessarily big deal. Other companies developing light jets, including longtime aircraft makers like Piper, Cirrus and others, have postponed or scrapped their small-jet programs.

Source;
http://blogs.wsj.com/drivers-seat/2012/11/04/one-pricey-civic-honda-starts-production-of-4-5-million-airplane/?mod=google_news_blog

Honda Cars : Honda Jet's strange looking aircraft aces first flight | 2013 New Honda Car Reviews 0

The upstart ailine manufacturer is moving ahead with a product and a plan that sounds oddly familiar

Fans of Mad Men know that when Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce started their new advertising agency the thing they wanted most was an airline. Had they not insulted, and then kicked out, Honda (at that time a motorized bike company) due to Roger’s WWII Pacific Theater rage, they would now have one. Yes, Honda is an airline manufacturer. What began formally at Honda in 2006 after 20 years of research and development on the side, has now come to the point where Honda has four aircraft for testing.

See if this sounds familiar. Honda’s product will be:
- Smaller than its competition
- More fuel efficient than other similar products
- Quieter than the current products in the market
- Uses "outside the box the thinking" with regard to engines
- No threat to anyone, just quietly making a small non-threatening little product…

By all measures Honda is following its playbook from the motorcycle, automotive and residential power products success to enter the airplane business.

This is Honda’s third flying aircraft, as one is used for ground based testing. Previous flights tested the performance envelope, flying to 43,000 feet and achieving a speed of 420 KTAS (knots True Airspeed – just think miles per hour). This flight seems to have been more a test of the aircraft in a regional jet scenario. The pilots flew to 11,500 feet and kept the speed in the cruising speed range for about 74 minutes (the time it takes to fly from Boston to New York perhaps?). Stefan Johansson, pilot-in-command was quoted as saying “The stick shift is probably the best in the world. When the engine switches cam lobes at about 5,000 RPM, and the V-TEC system kicks in, this baby really scoots.” (No of course he didn’t say that!) However, Michimasa Fujino, President and CEO of Honda Aircraft Company did say in a press statement "The first flight of F3 shows the steady advancement on our course toward delivering to our customers an aircraft that offers not only superior performance, efficiency and comfort, but also superior quality,"

If history is any guide, it will not be long before business people taking regional flights become used to seeing the yellow planes with the engines mounted up and back from the wings.

Source;
http://www.torquenews.com/1083/honda-jets-third-aircraft-aces-first-fligh

Honda Cars : Honda out to shake up market with 1st jet next year | 2013 New Honda Car Reviews 0

* Honda sees minimum 25% share of small business jet market
* HondaJet aims to be the Civic of small business jets -exec
* HondaJet to up ante on Cessna, Embraer
* Sees demand for small jets growing as users downsize -exec
* Wants to enter Brazil, China earlier than planned

By Chang-Ran Kim
TOKYO, Jan 30 (Reuters) - Honda Motor Co expects to grab at least a quarter of the world market for small business jets soon after delivering its first aircraft next year, achieving the company's long-standing goal of taking to the skies, an executive said.

Honda, Japan's No.3 car maker and the world's biggest manufacturer of motorcycles and engines, is in the final stages of getting its $4.5 million HondaJet certified. It aims to ramp up the pace of production to 80 a year in the first half of 2013.

Honda received more than 100 orders for the seven-seater jet in three days when it began taking orders in 2006, promising a quieter engine, 20 percent better fuel economy over competing models and operational costs of two-thirds or less.

It has not disclosed an updated number of orders, but Michimasa Fujino, a Honda executive and CEO of its North Carolina-based subsidiary, Honda Aircraft Company, said it held a backlog of about three years from orders taken through its nine dealerships in North America and Europe.

"I'm very optimistic about our prospects," Fujino, who initiated Honda's foray into aviation research in 1986, told a small group of reporters at the automaker's Tokyo headquarters on Monday.

"We're doing with HondaJet what the Civic did to American cars from the 1960s. Our competitors are still producing with technology from the 1990s," he said, referring to Textron Inc's Cessna and Brazil's Embraer SA, which now dominate the 200-a-year small business jet market.

The Civic, known for its reliability, durability and mileage, has consistently been among the United States' best-selling cars since its launch in 1973, forcing industry giants such as General Motors Co to follow suit with cars to meet the country's tighter emissions regulations.

Honda's ambition of making jets traces back to its iconic founder, Soichiro Honda. The HondaJet will make Honda the only car maker in the world to build its own aircraft.

Its engine is made by a joint venture between Honda and General Electric Co.

Honda Aircraft is aiming to turn a profit by 2018, Fujino said.

BRAZIL, CHINA CLAMOURING FOR JETS
The business jet industry is expecting a rebound in sales this year after the global economic crisis hammered sales over the past three years.

While the small business jet market has traditionally been limited to North America and Europe so far, Fujino said he was fielding about a call a week from China, both from prospective buyers and eager dealers, while interest was also greater than he anticipated in Brazil, India and the Middle East.

"Right now we want to focus on delivering on the orders that we have, but I'd like to enter Brazil and China earlier than we'd initially planned," he said, declining to specify a timeframe. New demand from emerging markets could expand the global small-jet market to about 300 a year, he said.

Fujino said he was also seeing more interest in the smallest end of the market as medium-sized jet users look to downsize to get more for their fuel, much like the trend in the car industry.
"Most of our customers are owners of small- and medium-sized businesses, and many are looking to get the most out of the jets that they need," he said.

With operational costs of about $1,000-$1,200 an hour, HondaJet could make travelling in a group of five or six cheaper and more efficient than flying commercially between small cities, he said. Competitors offer at best $1,800 by comparison, he added.

Honda Aircraft will add 300-350 factory staff to bring its total workforce to around 1,000 in the first half of 2013, Fujino said.

Source;
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/30/honda-jet-idUSL4E8CU1TM20120130

Honda Cars : HondaJet Likely To Be First Of A Family | 2013 New Honda Car Reviews 0

By George C. LarsonGreensboro, N.C.

As Honda Aircraft begins its sixth year, it is advancing cautiously but relentlessly toward the 2012 scheduled certification of its $4.5 million HA-420 HondaJet.

One pacing item for the airplane’s overall approval is its turbofan engine, the HF-120. A product of GE Honda Aero Engines, the powerplant, equipped with a full authority digital engine control (Fadec), first ran in 2009 and became available for testing on a conformal aircraft for the first time in 2010. Its developers report “steady progress” and expect to receive FAA certification of the 2,095-lb.-thrust engine by year-end.

Although the aircraft program has been delayed by more than a year, the Honda organization appears to be unhurried—paced, no doubt, by the precipitous drop in the global economy and subsequent fall-off in light-jet sales. Meanwhile, it continues to be guarded about the precise health of the order book, which has stood at “over 100” for years now.

The company says aircraft testing has proceeded on schedule, and the conformal aircraft, which first flew in December 2010, recently surpassed its specified 420-kt. true airspeed with a flight to 425 kt. Five aircraft are to be involved in the certification trials.

In an industry familiar with failed startups, a visit to Honda Aircraft’s Greensboro, N.C., headquarters at Piedmont Triad International Airport makes clear very quickly that one of the world’s largest automakers is in the aircraft business for the long haul. The tidy campus, and the offices and workspaces contained therein, are austere and functional, in keeping with the company’s culture. But the amount of investment in evidence and 263,000-sq.-ft. production facility leaves no doubt that Honda is looking beyond this first light jet and toward follow-on products.

CEO Mishimasa Fujino only hints at that scenario, saying, “We cannot sustain a company with one product.” Future models might not feature the HondaJet’s unique engine-over-wing design, he has said, but would likely incorporate concepts that are equally innovative.

The company could have reduced the amount of its bet by outsourcing much of the testing and research on both its original proof-of-concept aircraft and the production conforming models in FAA certification testing now. But Honda decided to do it all in-house, and has not scrimped in the process.

One employee estimates the total investment in buildings and equipment at roughly $100 million, but that seems low. On campus are complete full-scale structural test rigs equipped with dozens of computer-controlled actuators, an advanced system-integration test facility that “flies” a virtually complete airplane as represented by its principal systems, and a fully staffed telemetry facility that can capture 2,500 data streams.

This is not to say that Honda is not availing itself of numerous suppliers from all over the world.

The plant as configured now is planned around assembly of finished components, not ab initio manufacture. Just one example: Hampson Aerospace of Grand Prairie, Texas, a subsidiary of a parent company in the U.K., will provide completed empennage assemblies. And more: GKN Aerospace, a composites fabricator in Tallassee, Ala., supplies fuselage components. Avcorp, a subcontractor in British Columbia, will supply parts of the wing. Garmin’s G3000 avionics will light up the panel.

Aircraft will follow two parallel paths and emerge from the now completed final assembly facility, empty for the moment, then undergo systems installation, completion and painting at Greensboro.

Fujino expresses satisfaction with the Carolina workers, citing “good quality” and “a strong work ethic.”

The workforce is young—tablet notebooks are everywhere—with some notable experienced heads such as Mark Ard, vice president of engineering and a former Gulfstream executive, in key management slots. Fujino notes that just four years ago the company had 40 employees; now the figure is 600-700, with another 200-300 expected in 2012 when production gets under way in earnest.

The light jet’s legend started as Fujino’s vision and a cursory sketch in 1997. The unconventional engine arrangement employing overwing mounting is said to save room in the fuselage for a total of 66 cu. ft. of baggage (9 cu. ft. in a forward compartment and 57 aft of the cabin; it’s not accessible in flight). The combination of drag-reducing natural laminar flow over the wing’s advanced airfoil and the unusually shaped bulbous nose are what Honda says provides up to 30% gains in efficiency over the competition. Efficiency may sell on paper, but Honda appears to be placing more of its marketing bet on cabin appeal. To that end, the Greensboro facility has a complete and well-equipped design studio.

Fujino says the single-pilot-certified version is marketed primarily to individuals and corporations rather than to fleet buyers, but the company portrays a 2+6 seating arrangement as well. The HondaJet faces stiff competition, particularly from Embraer’s Phenom 100 and the M2, Cessna’s new successor to the Citation CJ1+.

Photo Credit: George C. Larson/AWST
GEORGE LARSON/AVIATION WEEK

Source;

http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_generic.jsp?channel=awst&id=news/awst/2011/10/10/AW_10_10_2011_p61-375968.xml&headline=HondaJet%20Likely%20To%20Be%20First%20Of%20A%20Family&next=10

Honda Cars : HondaJet production nears | 2013 New Honda Car Reviews 0

GREENSBORO — The recently completed production plant at Honda Aircraft Co. sits empty except for several yellow holding carts and some blue work desks.

Before long, this 6-acre-plus building — one part of a $100 million investment — will teem with activity as several hundred workers begin building the company’s $4.5 million HondaJet.

Honda officials said the company should begin delivering the light business jets in the later half of next year, right after it secures Federal Aviation Administration certification.

“Mass production will start early next year,” Michimasa Fujino, Honda Aircraft’s president and chief executive officer, said after a tour of the company’s operation at Piedmont Triad International Airport. “It’s difficult to define when.”

It will require another 250 to 300 employees, boosting the company’s workforce on Ballinger Road to nearly 1,000.

“It changes every day,” Fujino said of the employment level, which now totals 650.

Still, they perfectly match the high-tech manufacturing jobs that local economic development officials want to attract to the area as it moves from more traditional manufacturing associated with textiles, tobacco and furniture.

“This is exactly the outcome we hoped for when we landed the Honda project here,” said Dan Lynch, president of the Greensboro Economic Development Alliance. “The project continues to grow. These are the types of jobs we have been talking about creating.”

After Tuesday’s tour, Fujino hinted that the company would not stop with HondaJet but refused to say what might follow or when.

“It’s too early to tell,” the 50-year-old engineer said. “Honda cannot sustain business by one model. Aerospace has to grow.”

That’s clear from a rare, behind-the-scenes look at Honda Aircraft.

On Tuesday, the company invited more than 40 business and aviation reporters from the U.S., Europe and Mexico to see the state-of-the art business.

“Generally speaking,” Fujino said, “Honda does not show its facilities.”

Visitors toured the company’s delivery room, where customers from around the world will pick up their jets; various testing areas; the design studio; and the telemetry room, where engineers follow the plane’s test flights.

In late December, they monitored the maiden flight of the first production-quality HondaJet.
The company made a production of the event, bringing in film crews in a chase plane and a helicopter to record the flight. Company employees stood in the cold to watch it all and cheer the pilots as they returned from the successful flight.

“It was right before Christmas,” said Stephen Keeney, the company’s senior manager of corporate affairs. “It was the best Christmas present any of us could have had.”
The flight proved that Honda could design, build and prepare a jet for FAA testing.

Tuesday’s visitors saw a video of the event, which Fujino called “a big milestone.”

The day’s activities gave officials a chance to use the airplane for show-and-tell.

Al Lawless, chief flight test engineer, talked about how easily the plane could hit 420 knots.

“We had a little extra,” Lawless said of the speed test. “Our airplane is a rocket.”

Warren Gould, chief test pilot and manager of flight operations, talked about how well the jet handled.

“We really believe the airplane is going to be a pilot favorite,” Gould said. “We have a lot of the best parts of a lot of airplanes.”

By the time the tour reached Jim Hranica, an official in the production building, he didn’t have much to show.

“We don’t have too much going on right now,” Hranica said. “We’re getting this area set up for production.”

Source;
http://www.news-record.com/content/2011/07/12/article/hondajet_production_nears

Honda Cars : HondaJet Flies at 489 MPH | 2013 New Honda Car Reviews 0

It's been not such a long while since Japanese manufacturer Honda presented its newest attempt the take over the corporate skies above, and the Japanese announced today that they have already completed the speed tests of Honda's newest creation. After being cleared for flight for the first time by the FAA last December, the model was put through all its paces this week, the most important of which being the speed. According to the data supplied by Honda, the jet managed to top at a speed of 489 mph, with the number being achieved at 30,000 ft above sea level. "We are extremely pleased with the strong performance of the FAA-conforming HondaJet early in the flight test program," said Michimasa Fujino, Honda Aircraft CEO. "Our flight tests indicate the aircraft is handling and performing as expected, with excellent control harmony and stability.” The exact details of the soon to be new jet in the sky are still kept under wraps but, as it usually happens in this segment of the aviation industry, is not necessarily the power that counts the most, but comfort. And by the looks of it, Honda cut no corners there. “The HondaJet's unique over-the-wing engine mount configuration and natural laminar-flow leading edge and fuselage nose designs significantly reduce drag and greatly contribute to such outstanding performance. In addition, the HondaJet's HF120 engines are exhibiting carefree handling of thrust and are supporting top-level performance and efficiency," added Fujino. The model will enter the market in 2012. Until then, Honda is increasing the efforts to bring the Greensboro production facility in shape to accommodate the new model. Source; http://www.autoevolution.com/news/hondajet-flies-at-489-mph-33498.html

Honda Cars : New Honda Jet Makes First Flight | 2013 New Honda Car Reviews 0

Honda Motor Co. says the first FAA-conforming version of the small business jet it has been working on for years made its first flight. The plane, called the HondaJet, flew from the company’s Honda Aircraft Co. operation at Piedmont Triad International Airport in Greensboro, N.C.

While an earlier version called a proof-of-concept aircraft has logged more than 500 hours of flight testing, flying the version built to Federal Aviation Administration rules is what really counts toward bringing the plane to market.

Honda’s project is part of a renewed and growing intersection between automobiles and aviation that is occurring around personal- and business-transport. Honda touts the same qualities for the plane, such as “dynamic performance” and efficiency, as it does for its cars. The company has said it is essentially applying lessons learned in auto manufacturing to the aircraft business.
Cirrus Aircraft, a longtime maker of small single-engine propeller-driven planes is developing a small jet designed for personal use that it has described as a minivan with wings. Terrafugia, a small aircraft start-up in Woburn, Mass., plans to start selling a flying car called the Transition late next year.

Honda says it will build five FAA-conforming jets for testing before ramping up production in 2012. The company says it has more than 100 orders for the light business jets, which have a top speed around 483 mph and a ceiling of 43,000 feet. Honda plans to deliver the first one in the third quarter of 2012.

Source;
http://blogs.wsj.com/drivers-seat/2010/12/22/new-honda-jet-makes-first-flight/

Honda Cars : HondaJet Program Update Released at 2010 NBAA | 2013 New Honda Car Reviews 0

- Ground function testing underway on first conforming flight test aircraft
- Static stress testing in progress on second conforming aircraft
- Third conforming flight test aircraft in production
- Production cockpit and cabin released

Honda Aircraft Company, Inc., today released at the annual National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) convention an update to its HondaJet advanced light jet program, including the announcement of ground testing underway on its first conforming flight test aircraft and static structural stress testing in progress on its second conforming aircraft. Also announced was the commencement of assembly of its third conforming flight test aircraft.

With the installation of electrical, hydraulic, mechanical and environmental control systems, the first conforming flight test aircraft has entered the ground testing stage in preparation for first flight. Systems tests already completed on the conforming aircraft include, among others: oxygen, fuel tank and vapor cycle systems tests; landing gear deployment tests; steering and brake tests; flight control tests; power distribution tests; core navigation functions (VOR/ILS/GPS) tests; primary air data and attitude/heading sensor tests; and integrated avionic system functional tests. Additional tests completed at supplier facilities include: DC motor pump extreme environmental condition tests; hydraulic and electrical component tests; landing gear actuator vibration tests; landing gear drop tests; and crew and cabin seat crash tests.

Exterior treatment of the first conforming flight test aircraft also is complete with the application of a new HondaJet paint scheme. Featuring a metallic silver-over-white profile combined with a distinctive sweeping fuselage stripe in dark metallic gray, the aircraft sports a bisecting white and dark metallic gray combination stripe extending from its nose over the upper fuselage, further enhancing the HondaJet's unique image of dynamic performance.

Assembly of the second conforming aircraft - to be used for static structural stress testing - was completed in July. Following control surfaces FAA testing, including rudder and elevator tests, static structural stress tests of the entire aircraft have commenced and included: 100% limit-load wing tests; 100% limit-load horizontal stabilizer tests; wing stiffness tests; landing gear load tests; pylon stiffness tests; and fuselage pressure tests. Static structural stress testing has been undertaken at Honda Aircraft Company's R&D facility on its Greensboro, North Carolina, campus.

"In addition to the more than 500 flight hours we have accumulated on the proof of concept HondaJet, the successful completion of this robust range of static structural stress tests on the conforming aircraft significantly reinforces the advantages of the HondaJet's advanced design," said Michimasa Fujino, Honda Aircraft Company's President and CEO.

All static structural stress tests are conducted utilizing Honda's advanced structural test system. The system incorporates 61 hydraulic actuators and a 2,600-channel data acquisition system within a structural test fixture designed exclusively for HondaJet testing. The entire aircraft can be tested simultaneously to prove static and fatigue strength under various flight- and ground-load conditions. Testing will continue on static test aircraft as the HondaJet program moves through the certification process. The fourth conforming aircraft will be used for fatigue testing scheduled for 2012.

Honda is now focused on assembly of the third conforming aircraft to be used for flight testing of mechanical systems. The fuselage and empennage for this aircraft have been completed, while the wing assembly nears completion. Final assembly of this aircraft is scheduled to begin soon at Honda's R&D facility on its Greensboro campus.

Testing of aircraft systems on conforming flight test aircraft are supported through the implementation of Honda's industry-leading Advanced Systems Integration Test Facility (ASITF). Honda's ASITF confirms before first flight the integration of the aircraft's electrical, avionics, mechanical and flight control systems, including stall warning protection systems (SWPS) and rudder bias systems (RBS). The HondaJet ASITF incorporates a fully representative primary flight control system with a high-fidelity control-loading system.

The HondaJet ASITF also incorporates actual aircraft systems hardware and software, installed in a spatially-representative manner and interconnected with actual aircraft electrical harnesses. Additional simulation capabilities have been integrated to provide real-time simulation of navigation RF data, including GPS.

"Honda's Advanced Systems Integration Test Facility is a powerful tool that will support the most efficient development and certification process possible for the HondaJet. By effectively identifying any developmental issues at the earliest possible stages of the process, our ASITF system will support an accelerated program momentum and, ultimately, help us create the best possible aircraft," said Fujino.

At this year's NBAA, Honda released HondaJet production cockpit and cabin designs featuring production parts, reflecting the quality of materials, colors and finishes to be available in delivery aircraft. The HondaJet's cockpit design has been updated to reflect the maturity of Honda's human factors engineering efforts and flight test evaluations.

Concurrent with the ongoing assembly of flight test aircraft, construction of the HondaJet production facility on the company's Greensboro campus is quickly nearing completion. The 250,000 ft2 production facility is now in the final phase of construction, with interior build-out well underway. The facility is scheduled for completion in early 2011, at which time pre-production preparations and training of production staff will begin. Upon completion, the production facility's two state-of-the-art painting facilities will be utilized to support finishing of additional conforming aircraft, thereby supplementing the painting capacity of Honda's R&D facility on campus. In addition, the HondaJet production facility will incorporate Flight Safety International Level-D, full-motion flight simulators for training of all HondaJet pilots and crew.

Also at this year's NBAA, Honda will conduct demonstrations of its advanced humanoid robot ASIMO to showcase the company's commitment to enhancing and expanding human mobility for the benefit of society. In addition to the design and development of automobiles, motorcycles and power equipment products, Honda's innovative research and development efforts during the past decade have yielded such diverse outcomes as humanoid robotics, walking assist devices, HondaJet, fuel cell electric vehicle technology, thin film solar cells, increased rice crop yields and functional nano-materials.

Based on its belief in the value of technology to address the needs of society, Honda's mission is to develop products that anticipate and satisfy the evolving needs of its customers while meeting society's demand for cleaner, safer, more efficient and sustainable means of transportation and human mobility.

About HondaJetHonda Aircraft Company, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Honda Motor Company, Ltd., began sales of the advanced and innovative HondaJet in October 2006 in the U.S. and has amassed orders for well over 100 aircraft. Scheduled for first delivery in the third quarter of 2012, the $4.5 million HondaJet is Honda's first-ever commercial aircraft and lives up to the company's reputation for dynamic performance together with superior efficiency. The HondaJet proof-of-concept aircraft has accumulated more than 500 flight test hours and attained both a top speed of 420 knots (483 mph) and a maximum altitude of 43,000 ft. in flight testing.

The HondaJet incorporates many innovative technological advances in aviation design, including a unique over-the-wing engine-mount configuration that dramatically improves aircraft performance and fuel efficiency by significantly reducing aerodynamic drag in flight. This innovative approach to airframe design also lowers ground-detected noise when overhead and allows for a more spacious cabin and greater cargo capacity. The HondaJet is powered by two highly fuel-efficient GE Honda HF120 turbofan jet engines.

The production HondaJet flight deck features a Honda-customized Garmin® G3000 next-generation all-glass avionics system incorporating a class-leading layout with three 14-inch landscape-format displays and dual touch-screen controllers for overall avionics control and flight plan entries. The HondaJet Avionics Suite is the most advanced glass flight deck available in any light business jet and provides state-of-the-art integrated avionics functionality featuring split screen MFD capability, satellite weather, graphical synoptics, digital audio, and optional Synthetic Vision.

Learn more about HondaJet at www.hondajet.com.

Source;
http://www.hondanews.com/channels/corporate-headlines/releases/hondajet-program-update-released-at-2010-nbaa

Honda Cars : Honda Aircraft completes tests on HondaJet | 2013 New Honda Car Reviews 0

Awesome....

Honda Aircraft Co., the company building HondaJet, said this week it has completed key tests on its HondaJet aircraft at its factory in Greensboro, North Carolina.

HondaJet plans to build a $9 million sales and maintenance hangar at Albany International airport. Construction of the Albany hangar—initially scheduled to open this year—was delayed by the recession. HondaJet will provide sales and maintenance services for Honda Aircraft Co.

The Albany HondaJet hangar would open around the time the first HondaJet is scheduled to hit the market in 2012, airport spokesman Doug Myers said. The operation is expected to create 25 to 30 local high-paying jobs.

HondaJet will own the building and has a 25-year lease with the Albany airport that includes a first-year leasing rate of $65,393. New York state will pay $500,000 toward the project.

HondaJet’s recent tests, combined with structural testing planned for this summer and a first “conforming” flight test scheduled for later this year, should lead to Federal Aviation Administration certification of the private five- to six-person airplane, Honda Aircraft CEO Michimasa Fujino said during this week’s 2010 EAA AirVenture conference in Wisconsin.

“With this significant milestone achieved, we are now focused on the integration of avionics and other electrical systems in anticipation of first flight later this year,” Fujino said.

While a prototype of the HondaJet light aircraft has been flying since 2003, the conforming craft must meet FAA requirements for flight certification.

Honda aircraft also said it is nearing completion of the superstructure of the 250,000-square-foot production facility on its campus near Piedmont Triad International Airport, in Greensboro, with installation of electrical and plumbing systems next on the agenda. That facility should be completed early next year.

About 450 people work at the Greensboro HondaJet facility now, with about 600 total employees expected when full production begins.

The Albany HondaJet hangar will be built between the Million Air terminal, where HondaJet has set up temporary operations, and the vacant Eclipse Aviation hangar.

The Eclipse hangar at the Albany airport has been vacant since the Albuquerque, New Mexico company filed for bankruptcy November 2008. It is being marketed by the Albany office of NAI Platform, a global real estate company.

Myers said NAI Platform has shown the hangar a number of times since Eclipse was released from its lease in September 2009.

Source;
http://albany.bizjournals.com/albany/stories/2010/07/26/daily44.html

Honda Cars : Honda Delays Launch of HondaJet to Late 2012 | 2013 New Honda Car Reviews 0

Looks like I'll have to wait a little while longer for my jet, I wonder if I can get my $500 deposit back if I change my mind by 2012....
It appears the next-gen Civic won't be the only Honda product pushing away from the gate a little later than anticipated. According to Honda's aircraft division, supplier issues have prompted the company to delay the launch of the HondaJet small private jet until the third quarter of 2012.

"Our first priority is to achieve certification and first delivery of the HondaJet," Hondajet spokesman Stephen Keeney told Aviation International News. "Regrettably we've experienced delays in some components."

Although we first saw this instance of the HondaJet back in 2006, the company originally planned to launch the private jet in late 2011. Thanks to a few supplier delays, the first production-ready HondaJet (also known as the HA-420) won't take flight until this November. Assuming all goes according to plan, certification and approval from the Federal Aviation Administration won't be granted until the third quarter of 2012.

Neither Honda or GE (with whom Honda partnered with to build the HA-420's jet engines) would comment on what component delayed the program, but both remain upbeat about the launch timing. According to Keeney, customers aren't bothered by the delay -- in fact, the company still has 100 firm orders for the jet, which is roughly how many planes Honda plans on building annually. That's impressive, considering each HA-420 is expected to run buyers roughly $3.65 million a piece.

Final assembly of the HondaJet will occur in a new factory located in Greensboro, South Carolina, which won't be completed until February 2011. The company's aviation wing currently employs 450 people, but that number is expected to grow once production begins in early 2012.

Source;
http://wot.motortrend.com/6646639/miscellaneous/honda-delays-launch-of-hondajet-to-late-2012/index.html

Honda Cars : Can Honda Bring Corporate-Style Jet Travel to the Masses? | 2013 New Honda Car Reviews 0

Private jet travel is convenient, luxurious and, of course, very expensive. The HondaJet represents an effort at changing that, by using technology and design to bring costs down and allow private-jet travel at costs that approach commercial ticket prices

So my column for the magazine in a couple of months is on new approaches to air travel. In the course of writing it, I spent a day with the pilots, engineers and designers of an aircraft that's meant to bring about just that sort of new approach: the HondaJet, a fast, comparatively cheap five-passenger Very Light Jet that Honda hopes will not only appeal to the usual run of corporate-jet purchasers, but that will also promote an entirely new way of flying, one that's capable of bridging the gap between cheap-but-unreliable commercial jet travel and swanky-but-expensive corporate jet travel. What I saw makes me think that the Honda folks just may be onto something.

The HondaJet is the brainchild of Honda Aircraft president and CEO Michimasa Fujino. Fujino told me that his first job in the United States was in Mississippi, back in the 1980s, and that he found that wherever he traveled by air—even elsewhere in Mississippi—he usually wound up having to change planes in Atlanta. This seemed wasteful of time and fuel, and made travel iffier, since it created the risk of a missed connection. To Fujino, the hub-and-spoke system makes sense for a country like Japan, where Tokyo is at the center of everything, but much less sense for a country as big as the United States, where important places are widely distributed. For this, point-to-point travel is much better.

This is no secret, of course, to the people who travel by private jet now. But private jet travel is very expensive, which is why it is the domain of CEOs, celebrities and the like. The HondaJet represents an effort at changing all of that, by using technology and design to bring costs down and allow private-jet travel at costs that approach commercial ticket prices. (Fully loaded, Fujino says, the cost per seat on the HondaJet should be roughly comparable to a first-class commercial ticket). To keep costs down, the Honda folks have put a lot of thought into ways to make the plane as small and inexpensive as possible, without sacrificing comfort or speed.

This approach shows up in a lot of different places. To save weight (and hence fuel) the HondaJet's fuselage is all-composite construction. (I held some of the components in my hand—they were very stiff, but felt almost weightless.) The plane's engines are mounted, unusually enough, above rather than below the wings. This location change accomplishes two things: It allows the wings to be lowered, opening up more cabin space, and it means that the engines are directly above the landing gear, reducing wing loading on touchdown. (The over-the-wing placement also means that the wings baffle sound in flight, making things quieter on the ground). The HF-120 engines themselves are a new, lightweight, fuel-efficient design being codeveloped with General Electric.

Honda is also saving development money by taking advantage of modern computer power. Fujino notes that it's possible to do serious design work on a laptop nowadays, where not long ago it took an expensive engineering workstation. And Honda is making heavy use of simulations, with a sophisticated whole-aircraft simulator that allows real parts to be swapped in and tested against virtual parts and vice versa, allowing many stages of refinement before parts ever reach the test-flight stage. (When I flew the simulator, I noticed an antenna hanging over the plane: Turns out it transmits simulated GPS data to a real GPS receiver on the simulator, furthering Honda's goal of keeping things within the simulation as real as possible.)

The interior is also carefully contrived to provide space and comfort in as little room as possible. What Fujino says is that perceptions of luxury vary with time—the longer you're in a plane, the more uncomfortable a given set of accommodations will seem. (Even Air Force One, I've heard, feels cramped after a while). The HondaJet's relatively high speed (420 knots/485 mph) means that trips will tend to be short, so the cabin was optimized for comfort over a 2- to 3-hour period. I think it works. I'm a big guy—6 feet 3 inches and over 200 pounds—but I was comfortable in the cabin and seats. The built-in lavatory (the Honda folks were very proud that it has a real door, not simply an accordion door as in some small jets) was a bit tight for me, but adequate, and the lavatory ceiling features two skylights that provide a more spacious feel. Overall, the interior reminds me of an upscale Audi; when I mentioned that, the chief interior designer, Chris Osborne, told me that they had tried for a more Euro-style interior. I think they succeeded. The cargo compartment is surprisingly large too. The design manages to get a lot out of a little, without being too obvious about it. Overall, the HondaJet has a sleekness and a friendly, pleasing personality that reminds me of an iPhone, or some other cleverly designed bit of consumer hardware. You just want to like it.

A high degree of automation shows up in the airplane's glass-cockpit approach to controls; the HondaJet is designed to be easy enough to fly that it can get by with a single pilot, also cutting costs. How easy is it to fly? Well, I managed to take off and land, in the simulator, without wrecking it, though I had a few pointers from Honda's chief test pilot, Warren Gould. Still, anything that I can manage is, by definition, user-friendly.

What about the environment, though? Won't all these small jets zipping around be worse for emissions than a few big ones? The answer seems to be no. Based on fuel consumption, speed and range, the HondaJet seems to be just about exactly as efficient per seat-mile as the ubiquitous Canadair CRJ-200 regional jet. But that probably understates things, because if I were flying from Knoxville to, say, Washington, D.C., I'd be traveling a straight-line distance of 353 nautical miles, while if I took a commercial flight, I'd probably be going by way of Atlanta for a distance of 605 nautical miles. (I'd also have a travel time of about an hour on the HondaJet, rather than something like 4 hours traveling via Atlanta.) So while the precise environmental impact of replacing hub-and-spoke commercial travel with direct-flight travel on the HondaJet is open to dispute, it seems unlikely that there will be much impact. There's also a national-security angle: Crashing a 757, or even a Canadair regional jet, into a building would do a lot more damage than crashing a HondaJet into one. It's hard to weigh the importance of this factor, but it's certainly worth noting.

Overall, I found the HondaJet very appealing, and if I had in the neighborhood of $4 million to drop on an airplane I'd be sorely tempted. But since I don't—Popular Mechanics doesn't pay quite that well, and neither does my day job at the university—the real question is whether people who do have the money will shell out. That, obviously, depends. Honda hopes that the plane will sell not only to the usual run of jet customers, but to air-taxi services, and, in fact, Fujino, who makes a point of calling the HondaJet an Advanced Light Jet rather than a Very Light Jet, tells me that they expect this to be a case of the product driving the market. Although other efforts to build an on-demand air-taxi market at low cost have stalled with the current economic downturn, those efforts faced financial and technological problems that Honda expects to avoid, and by the time the HondaJets are rolling off the line at full speed, there's a good chance that the economy will have recovered. So the air-taxi model—where you got to a website, enter your destination, and have a small jet swoop down to pick you up, possibly at a small business airport rather than a big one where parking and security hassles are greater—may well have a chance.

I certainly would like to see something like that happen. I fly coach myself; I'll occasionally spring for an upgrade to first class when the airline offers me a deal, but when I do take the upgrade I'm usually underwhelmed. To me, the problem with air travel as it exists now isn't a lack of free drinks, but a lack of convenient scheduling, and the risk of delays caused by missed connections. (Ironically enough, a trip to Greensboro, N.C., was nearly scrubbed by problems in Atlanta en route). Free drinks are nice, I guess, but when your flight is canceled or delayed, the front part of the plane is just as inconvenienced as the back part of the plane. I'd be much more willing to pay first-class fare for a shorter flight that was more likely to get me there on time.

Are there enough people out there who feel the way I do? Honda thinks there are. Speaking selfishly, I hope they're right.

Source;
http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/air_space/4347867.html?nav=RSS20&src=syn&dom=yah_buzz&mag=pop

Honda Cars : Honda Aircraft Company Announces Major Milestones for Its HondaJet | 2013 New Honda Car Reviews 0

Does it come in Red?....

-Major structural assemblies for first conforming aircraft completed
-Production avionics suite debuts
-First flight of Advanced Systems Integration Test Facility accomplished
-In-flight Entertainment System availability confirmed
-Flight ReadyTM Maintenance Service Program announced
-Construction of HondaJet production facility has commenced
-FedEx® logistics partnership formalised

October 21, 2009 - Honda Aircraft Company, Inc., announced at the annual National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) convention significant milestone achievements for its HondaJet advanced light jet program, including the completion of major structural assemblies for the first conforming aircraft. Also announced were the selection of a significantly upgraded avionics suite for the production aircraft featuring Garmin's new, cutting-edge G3000 avionics system, the successful first flight of Honda's industry-leading Advanced Systems Integration Test Facility, Honda's comprehensive Flight ReadyTM Maintenance Service Program, and the company's FedEx® logistics partnership.

Program Update
In preparation for first flight of conforming aircraft in the first quarter of 2010, Honda has completed major structural assemblies including the fuselage, wing, empennage, landing gear, and other components for the first conforming aircraft. These components were completed or delivered in September 2009. Fabrication of conforming aircraft has commenced under the strict supervision of Honda and FAA quality control representatives, while Honda's manufacturing engineering team focuses on the optimisation of assembly processes.

Honda also has completed successfully a number of important qualification tests, such as rejected take-off (RTO) brake tests and crew- and cabin-seat crash tests, as well as critical structural parts tests.

Honda continues to work very closely with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regarding certification of the HondaJet and completed an Interim Type Certification Board Meeting (ITCBM) in August 2009. A formal agreement has been reached and implemented with the FAA regarding the manufacturing conformity process for the type-certification test aircraft. This process currently is being used for the build of the first conforming aircraft. In addition, Honda and the FAA are engaged in detailed discussions to finalise the requirements for the first Type Inspection Authorisation (TIA), which allows the start of FAA flight testing.

To expedite the build of conforming aircraft and establish precise, high quality fabrication processes, Honda has chosen to manufacture conforming aircraft wing assemblies at its R&D complex on its world headquarters campus in Greensboro, North Carolina. In addition, in-house cutting-edge 5-axis milling capabilities provide Honda with maximum efficiency and the highest quality in the creation of detail parts for conforming aircraft fabrication.

Honda also has completed preparations for on-site static and fatigue structural testing. Honda's advanced MTS FlexTest® structural test system incorporates 61 hydraulic actuators and a 2,600-channel data acquisition system within a structural test fixture designed exclusively for HondaJet testing and capable of testing the entire aircraft to prove static and fatigue strength under various flight and ground load conditions. Honda's test facility includes an environmental chamber to simulate hot-wet conditions, which is required testing for the validation of composite structures.

"We are pleased to have achieved such positive results in the completion of major structural assemblies for conforming aircraft, and we are now fully focused on final assembly of the first conforming aircraft. We are now ready for FAA structural testing. Although we face many challenges ahead, every Honda associate is diligently working towards first flight early next year," said Michimasa Fujino, Honda Aircraft Company President & CEO.

New, Advanced HondaJet Avionics Suite
The production HondaJet flight deck will feature a Honda-customised Garmin® G3000 next-generation all-glass avionics system incorporating a class-leading layout with three 14-inch landscape-format screens and dual touch-screen controllers for overall avionics control and flight plan entries. The HondaJet Avionics Suite provides a significantly enhanced pilot interface compared to flight decks incorporating the previous generation Garmin G1000 Suite.

The HondaJet Avionics Suite is the most advanced glass flight deck available in any light business jet and provides state-of-the-art integrated avionics functionality featuring split screen MFD capability, satellite weather, graphical synoptics, digital audio, and optional Synthetic Vision.

"The HondaJet Avionics Suite, integrated into our human-centric cockpit design, represents a significant enhancement in both capability and user experience. The large-format displays, advanced features, and intuitive touch-screen multi-function controllers provide a low-workload user interface that is ideally suited to our high-performance light jet aircraft," said Fujino.

Advanced Systems Integration Test Facility (ASITF)
On October 7, 2009, Honda Aircraft Company accomplished the successful first flight of the HondaJet Advanced Systems Integration Test facility (ASITF) located within the company's R&D complex on its Greensboro, North Carolina, campus. This event represents a critical milestone for the HondaJet program and is another significant step toward the first flight of conforming aircraft. The HondaJet ASITF facility was developed internally by Honda Aircraft Company engineers.

The HondaJet ASITF is an aircraft systems integration facility, primarily consisting of two major elements: the aircraft test facility, and the Real-time Test and Simulation System (RTSS). The HondaJet ASITF is a test facility that incorporates actual aircraft systems hardware and software, installed in a spatially-representative manner, and interconnected with actual aircraft electrical harnesses. The RTSS provides the systems, environmental and aerodynamic simulation, supported by dSPACE® real-time hardware and I/O hosting Honda-developed high fidelity 6-DOF aerodynamic and real-time engine models. Additional simulation capabilities have been integrated to provide real-time simulation of navigation RF data, including GPS.

The HondaJet ASITF also includes a fully representative primary flight control system with a high-fidelity control-loading system. The avionics configuration during the HondaJet ASITF first flight included the new HondaJet Avionics Suite.

"The HondaJet ASITF has successfully integrated the best attributes of a systems test lab, engineering simulator, and 'Iron Bird' in one facility," said Fujino. "This facility allows thorough evaluation of all systems integration for enhanced aircraft safety and will significantly support accelerated development of both systems and conforming aircraft."

HondaJet Cabin Management and In-flight Entertainment System
Honda Aircraft Company has confirmed that the production HondaJet will optionally offer EMTEQ's SkyPro® integrated cabin management and in-flight entertainment system featuring all-digital high-definition touch-screen interface technology. The HondaJet cabin management and in-flight entertainment system will include audio/video on demand (AVOD), interactive 3-D high-definition moving map, and extensive cabin control capabilities such as cabin/cockpit communications, climate control and interior lighting, among others.

AVOD is available through the system's removable media storage unit, which is capable of storing virtually an entire media collection. Passengers can interface through the onboard system's multiple media inputs with audio, video, or gaming systems brought onto the aircraft and play content on cabin speakers and HD monitors. HondaJet also will offer an XM® Satellite Radio option, where the system will interface with XM and allow passengers to select their desired station presets at their seats.

"The concept HondaJet cabin management and in-flight entertainment system was exceptionally well-received by customers. In order to meet strong customer demand, we will offer on the HondaJet a class-leading system with a unique Honda-designed interface providing maximum functionality and ease of use," commented Fujino.

Flight ReadyTM Maintenance Service Program
Honda has unveiled its HondaJet Flight ReadyTM maintenance service program, which is designed to maximise flying time and minimise variations in maintenance costs. Flight ReadyTM makes HondaJet authorised materials and maintenance services available when and where customers need them. Program participation allows aircraft owners to plan on one hourly maintenance rate based on selected coverage and tailored to expected aircraft utilisation. The program offers three levels of coverage to meet the diverse needs of HondaJet customers.

Flight ReadyTM Protection - P¹TM ("P-One") is included in the purchase price of all new HondaJet aircraft. In addition to other OEM support services, it provides a comprehensive warranty program including airframe, avionics and engine warranties.

Flight ReadyTM Performance - P²TM ("P-Two") is designed for customers who have access to facilities with qualified and trained technicians. It provides various services, including airframe and avionics exchange component coverage that extends to both scheduled and unscheduled maintenance events.

Flight ReadyTM Precision - P³TM ("P-Three") was created for customers who want the convenience of one-stop servicing. In addition to coverage in the P²TM plan, it also includes labor expenses for scheduled and unscheduled maintenance performed at authorised HondaJet maintenance facilities. This plan is Honda's "Nose-to-Tail" service option.

All HondaJet Flight ReadyTM plans are fully transferrable. Extended engine coverage - provided through GE Honda Aero Engines - is available up to full engine overhaul, including all major components and systems.

HondaJet Production Facility
Construction of the HondaJet production facility on Honda Aircraft Company's world headquarters campus in Greensboro, North Carolina, has begun with the completion of ground preparations and the commencement of piling installations. The 250,000 ft2 facility is scheduled to be completed in February 2011 and will house all HondaJet production activities, as well as test flight operations and pilot training facilities. Honda has partnered with Flight Safety International® to provide pilot training utilising industry-leading full-motion Level-D flight simulators that will be installed in the HondaJet production facility.While construction of the production facility continues, Honda's world headquarters building and R&D complex on campus are in full operation. Build of conforming aircraft currently is taking place in Honda's 187,000 ft2 R&D complex that also incorporates ongoing research and development activities. The R&D complex has full production capabilities, including all necessary quality control and testing resources, paint booths, and maintenance support facilities. The HondaJet world delivery center also is located within Honda's R&D complex.FedEx® PartnershipAt the 2009 NBAA convention, Honda Aircraft Company and Federal Express formalised a business partnership to provide worldwide logistics support for HondaJet production activities and customer support of the HondaJet aircraft. This partnership results from the successful, long-standing relationship between FedEx and Honda globally and from FedEx's ability to provide a multi-faceted logistics support network that will enable the most efficient and expedient delivery of support materials for customers, thereby further enhancing the overall HondaJet ownership experience.

By choosing FedEx, Honda has the ability to move all HondaJet support parts through an array of services, depending on customer needs. These services encompass all aspects of the logistics supply chain and include Express, Ground, Less-than-Truck-Load (LTL), Custom-Critical, Trucking, Ocean, and FedEx Trade Networks' Customs Brokerage and Clearance services.

The new FedEx Worldwide Service Center, located near Honda Aircraft Company's campus at the Piedmont-Triad International Airport in Greensboro, North Carolina, provides Honda with enhanced flexibility to fulfill critical shipment deadlines and offers direct East Coast shipping to regional U.S. HondaJet sales and service facilities. In addition, the ability to communicate between each spoke of the FedEx worldwide network enables Honda to ensure uninterrupted service to its global customers.

Source;
http://world.honda.com/news/2009/c091021HondaJet/