Aiming for Delivery in 2015

The "HondaJet" business jet, developed by Honda Aircraft Company, is powered by the HF120 turbofan engine, a production model from GE Honda Aero Engines. A key characteristic is that both the airframe and the engine have been developed in-house.

The first production unit is currently undergoing ground function tests in preparation for delivery, with its first flight planned for the summer of 2014. Assembly of nine aircraft is underway at the production facility, and the addition of a tenth aircraft in June 2014 will mark the full-scale launch of the production system.

The HondaJet is continuing its final certification flight tests with FAA pilots to obtain type certification from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Various FAA certification flight tests related to systems such as stall, brake control, flap control, speed brake, hydraulics, and fire suppression have been completed. Ground tests have involved approximately 2,000 cycles of structural fatigue testing, equivalent to about five years of flight cycles, using a proprietary advanced structural test apparatus. Deliveries are scheduled to commence immediately after obtaining FAA type certification.

Michimasa Fujino, the development lead and President of Honda Aircraft Company, expressed his determination: "The most important thing for us is to obtain FAA type certification between January and March 2015 and begin deliveries. We will dedicate all our efforts towards this milestone."

To strengthen customer service, Honda Aircraft Company is jointly developing pilot training programs with FlightSafety International®, including flight simulators and various training curricula designed to enhance pilot skills, safety, and mechanic knowledge and proficiency. The flight simulator hardware is complete, and the final software integration is currently in progress. Training is scheduled to begin at the Honda Aircraft Company headquarters in North Carolina later this year.