Business & GA

Experimental Japanese research and development light aircraft to debut at show.

Honda’s experimental HondaJet will make its public debut this week at the AirVenture show in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, but the light jet remains a research and development project with no plans for certification and production.

Powered by two Honda-developed HF118 turbofans, the HondaJet has logged more than 130 flying hours since its first flight on 3 December 2003 from Honda R&D Americas’ Greensboro, North Carolina test centre. The HondaJet has been flown to its operational ceiling of 41,000ft (12,500m) and a maximum speed of 395kt (730km/h). Flight-test results have shown good agreement with analytical estimates, says Honda.

Honda says it continues to validate the technologies in the HondaJet, but has “no formal business plan at this time” to take the aircraft beyond an R&D project. Technologies in the HondaJet include a drag-reducing natural laminar-flow wing and forward fuselage; an over-the-wing engine configuration that maximises cabin volume while reducing drag at high speed; and an all-composite fuselage that reduces weight and cost while maximising cabin cross-section.

While the HondaJet’s future is uncertain, further development of the 1,670lb-thrust (7.43kN) HF118 turbofan is being undertaken by a joint venture between Honda and General Electric. GE Honda Aero Engines is modifying the engine for certification and production, and marketing the HF118 for applications in the 1,000-3,500lb thrust range (Flight International, 24-30 May).

The HondaJet’s future remains uncertain as further research continues