Honda HA-420 HondaJet
The Honda HA -420 HondaJet is a twin-engine business aircraft for five passengers. It is the first of the Honda Aircraft Company designed and built production aircraft.
History
In the late 1980s, Honda began developing a small business plane, which should be driven by jet engines from other manufacturers. The prototype, the Honda MH02, was built around 1990 in cooperation with the Mississippi State University as an experimental aircraft. This development culminated in the construction of an own small turbofan engine, the GE Honda HF120 in 1999. The engine, co-developed with GE Aviation, was for testing purposes in a Cessna Citation and a modified Boeing 727-100, and later in a Lockheed T- 33 Shooting Star installed. The jet is in Greensboro (North Carolina), produced at the Piedmont Triad International Airport.
The HondaJet made its maiden flight on December 3, 2003 at the Piedmont Triad International Airport in Greensboro and was first in July 2005 at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh air show in Oshkosh ( Wisconsin), presented to the public.
In August 2006 Honda and Piper Aircraft announced a joint marketing of the HondaJet. On 2 September 2007, the Japanese company announced that the production and the headquarters of the new subsidiary at the airport in Greensboro be settled. Mid-2008 was the Formula 1 driver Jenson Button announced that he wants to enter the business aviation and ordered two Honda jets.
On 20 December 2010 the first close HondaJet took off for a 51 -minute maiden flight from Piedmont Triad International Airport in Greensboro. With this flight certification begins by the U.S. aviation authority FAA oversight. A third prototype is under construction and is scheduled for mid 2011 to participate in the certification process
Honda announced a little more than 100 orders for the jet to have, with the first deliveries were planned for the year 2012. The sale price is expected to 4.5 million U.S. dollars. It is planned to have an annual production of 70 to 100 pieces. Due to design problems with the engine was announced in October 2011, the delivery will be delayed to mid-2013. In May 2013 Honda was again aware of the certification, due to further testing with the engines to move a further year to the end of 2014.
Construction
The developers opted for an unusual arrangement of the engines above the wings of a known Fokker VFW -614 configuration. Because of the ensuing potential deep arrangement of the wing there is additional space within the hull, as the otherwise caused by the wing spar stage is omitted in the hull bottom. The fuselage is made of lightweight composite materials and is manufactured and assembled by GKN Aerospace in Tallassee (Alabama ) in two parts. The wings, however, are made of reinforced single aluminum sheets. The use of a single sheet provides a smoother surface than a conventional design. The manufacturer hopes that the combination of lightweight materials, aerodynamic design and efficient drives higher by 30 to 35 percent efficiency compared to similar models. Equipped is the aircraft in the cockpit with a Garmin G3000 glass cockpit system and in the passenger area with smart glass.