https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_HA-420_HondaJet
The Honda HA-420 HondaJet is the first aircraft developed by Honda Aircraft
Company. The light business jet was designed in Japan and then developed and
manufactured in Greensboro, North Carolina in the United States.
The first FAA-conforming (built to Federal Aviation Administration rules)
HondaJet achieved its first flight on 20 December 2010. The first flight of the
first production HondaJet occurred on 27 June 2014, and it was displayed at that
year's AirVenture on 28 July. Four HondaJets had test-flown 2,500 hours as of
2015.
The HA-420 aircraft program itself was plagued by delays. The initial planned
certification date was "Late 2010", but in Spring 2009 was delayed by a year. In
May 2010, the projected certification date was late 2012. The program was
incrementally delayed several more times.
The production aircraft are built at Piedmont Triad Airport. Construction of the
factory began in 2007 and was completed in late 2011. In early 2015, there were
12 aircraft in final assembly and five more in earlier stages of production.
Twenty aircraft were in production by May 2015. Honda estimated it would produce
40 aircraft in the first full year and up to 60 each year after that. The engine
factory achieved certification in March 2015.
Honda delivered the first customer aircraft on December 23, 2015 at its world
headquarters in Greensboro, North Carolina First delivery of a HondaJet to a
European aircraft dealer took place in April 2016. About 20% of the
approximately 100 aircraft on order are destined for European customers as
reported in April 2016.
Honda plans to ramp up production to 80 units per year after March 2019. Sixteen
aircraft were delivered in the first three quarters of 2016, reaching a 36 per
year production rate. In 2017, 15 were produced in the first quarter, and the
annual target is between 55 and 60 aircraft. In the first half of 2017, a total
of 24 aircraft were delivered to customers and it became the most-delivered jet
in its category for that period. As of late August 2017, a total of 53 jets had
been delivered to customers in the U.S., Mexico and Europe.
Role
Business jet
National origin
Japan
United States
Manufacturer
Honda Aircraft Company
founded by Michimasa Fujino
First flight
3 December 2003
Introduction
January 2016
Status
Active, In production
Produced
Number built
57 (May 2017)
Unit cost
US$4.5 million (as of May 2015)
The HondaJet is a low-wing monoplane with an unconventional structure; it has a
mainly composite fuselage and an aluminium wing. The aircraft is powered by two
GE Honda Aero Engines HF120 turbofans mounted on pylons above the wing. It has a
retractable tricycle landing gear with both main and nose landing gear
single-wheeled.
cabin space, and achieve lower wave drag at a high Mach number. The nose and
wing are designed for laminar flow, and the main fuselage has a constant
profile, making an eventual stretch easier. The combination of engine placement,
wing and fuselage was achieved using computer simulations and wind tunnels.
Honda claims that the combination of lightweight materials, aerodynamics and
efficient engines gives the HondaJet up to 20% better fuel efficiency than
similar aircraft. When cruising at 43,000 feet, the jet is said to consume just
339 litres (89.5 gallons) of fuel per hour.
Honda began developing its own small turbofan engine, the HF118, in 1999. This
led to the HF120, developed with GE Aviation under the GE-Honda partnership. The
HF120 was test-flown on a Cessna Citation CJ1. The engine features a single fan,
a two-stage compressor and a two-stage turbine. The GE Honda HF120 received FAA
type certification on 13 December 2013, and production certification in 2015.
Specifications
General characteristics
Crew: 1 or 2
Capacity: 4-6
Length: 13.0 m (42.6 ft)
Wingspan: 12.1 m (39.8 ft)
Height: 4.5 m (14.9 ft)
Empty weight: 3,267 kg (7,203 lb)
Max takeoff weight: 4,808 kg (10,600 lb)
Bypass ratio: 2.9
Performance
Maximum speed: 782 km/h; 486 mph (422 kn) max cruise
Cruise speed: 682 km/h; 423 mph (368 kn) long range
Range: 2,234 km; 1,388 mi (1,206 nmi)
Service ceiling: 13,000 m (43,000 ft)
Rate of climb: 20 m/s (4,000 ft/min)
Fuel consumption: 0.41 kg/km (1.46 lb/mi)
Take-off distance: 3,934 feet (1,199 m)
Landing distance: 3,047 feet (929 m)
Fuel capacity: 2,850 pounds (1,290 kg)
Cabin altitude: 8,000 feet (2,400 m)
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