Honda Aircraft Company last month began deliveries of its HondaJet – what the company says is ‘the world’s most advanced light jet’.
The aircraft manufacturer and subsidiary of the Honda Motor Company delivered the first HondaJet on December 23 at its world headquarters in Greensboro, North Carolina.
The first delivery milestone follows final type certification from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which the HondaJet received on December 8.
Honda Aircraft Company is manufacturing the HondaJet at its Greensboro site and is offered for sale through the HondaJet dealer network across three continents, North America, South America and Europe.
Honda Aircraft Company President and CEO, Michimasa Fujino, said the recent delivery of the first HondaJet was the beginning of the company’s commitment to see the innovative light jet in skies and airports throughout the world.
“We are very excited to commence deliveries of the HondaJet, fulfilling Honda’s commitment to advancing human mobility through innovation,” he said.
“Honda Aircraft has now extended this commitment skyward with the delivery of our first aircraft, and I hope we soon will begin to see many HondaJets at airports around the world.”
The Honda Aircraft Company’s first delivery of the HondaJet is a major milestone for the company as it enters the lucrative light jet market.
Hondajet vs the competition
Among Honda’s main competitors as it launches its HondaJet, which sells for around $4.5m and seats between 4-6 passengers plus 1-2 crew, will be major aircraft manufacturers such as Bombardier, which produces the Learjet 70 and Learjet 75 models which seat 7 and 9 passengers respectively.
Honda will also be competing against Cessna and its range of light jet models, which include the Citation Mustang, Citation M2 and Citation Latitude, which seat between 4 and 9 passengers. The Citation Mustang by comparison retails for around $2.7m.
Another major competitor will be Sierra Industries and its FJ44 Eagle II and FJ44 500/501 Stallion models.
The Honda Aircraft Company is confident going up against these main competitors, as it claims its HondaJet is the world’s most advanced light jet, with revolutionary technology and design innovations which include the Over-The-Wing Engine Mount (OTWEM) design, a feature that helps it to achieve the highest speed, superior fuel efficiency and a more spacious cabin over conventional aircraft its competitors have to offer.
The OTWEM design also reduces cabin sound and minimizes ground-detected noise.
The HondaJet’s over-the-wing engine mount configuration was designed to maximize cabin space, and for achieving lower wave drag at high speed. The main fuselage has a constant profile, which will make the creation of a stretched model easier. The combination of engine placement, wing and fuselage was achieved using a combination of 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.
Honda Aircraft Company is a wholly owned subsidiary of American Honda Motor Company and was founded in 2006.
Its world headquarters are located in North Carolina – the birthplace of aviation, and its Greensboro headquarters feature a 90,000 square foot customer service facility to support the HondaJet dealer network and customers with heavy maintenance, repair and overhaul capabilities.
