There is a certain technological charm about the Japanese. You always expect something modern,
sleek, and powerful from them. In its more than 70 years of history,
the Japanese company Honda has managed to establish important milestones in its sector.
When you hear its name, you probably associate it more with cars and motorcycles, but the truth
is that the Japanese company has been able to diversify, and its work today goes much further.
Their presence in the skies is not ordinary, thanks to the production
and commercialization of the first product of Honda Aircraft Company, the HA-420 HondaJet,
a private jet with a capacity for between 6 and 7 occupants depending on its configuration. The
Hondajet is full of interesting features that will surely surprise you, and the most
incredible thing is that it packs all the great futures of a jet into a relatively small cabin.
DESIGN/EXTERIOR
The HondaJet is a modern aircraft with a bold exterior design, capable of stealing
glances. Its one-piece fuselage is composed of carbon honeycomb layers and rigid structures
that are bonded together by a patented process from Honda Aircraft. This contributes to the
aircraft's lightweight and smooth appearance. The HondaJet incorporates new natural laminar
flow technology into the design of its airfoil and fuselage nose, resulting in reduced drag and
improved airspeed and fuel efficiency. The Hondajet measures 42 feet,
7 inches in length, 14 feet, 11 inches in height, and 39 feet, 9 inches in wingspan.
With an impressive range of 1,437-nautical miles, it competes in its class with the
out-of-production Cessna Citation Mustang and the Embraer Phenom 100. Something that you will
surely have noticed and that makes the Honda Jet's design stand out is the curious arrangement of its
engines since they do not follow the traditional pattern of mounting the engines on the fuselage;
instead, they are elevated above the wings thanks to a special platform.
This distinctive design feature gives a greater sense of space in the cockpit and,
since the engines are separated from the body of the aircraft,
the noise they produce is greatly reduced. The incorporation of the wingtips allows
improving lift, taking into account that it is a relatively small area, thus achieving a better
overall performance when flying in the skies. The wings of this aircraft were designed in a
single piece of aluminum with the intention of minimizing the number of parts on the surface and
thus its undulation. This generates better airflow in the wing, reducing drag and having a favorable
impact on fuel efficiency. INTERIOR
This aircraft is very well equipped. When you see the interior of this aircraft you will undoubtedly
be pleasantly surprised by the existing space and the feeling of comfort and quality it conveys,
the seats are lined in ultra-light leather and also have removable tables
so that people can work comfortably while flying.
But there is no doubt that the highlight of the Honda Jet's interior is its private lavatory,
a feature that many aircraft in this segment lack, which is a big plus for this aircraft.
The internal dimensions measures 17.8 feet long, 5 feet wide, and 4.8 feet
high. It’s not large enough for you to stand inside of them, but it’s definitely comfy.
Space on this aircraft is so well utilized that it has two baggage compartments, one of 9 cubic
feet located in the nose and another of 57 cubic feet located in the aft, so the Honda
Jet offers a combined stowage distribution of 66 cubic feet for baggage storage.
ENGINE The
Honda Jet incorporates 2 GE Honda HF 120 turbofan engines mounted on each of its wings. This design
decision allowed freeing up valuable space in the fuselage, reducing aerodynamic drag and
allowing the aircraft to be much faster, reaching up to 422 knots and with lower fuel consumption.
One advantage is that the engines are designed by Honda Aircraft itself in conjunction with GE
Aviation through a partnership established in 2004 called GE Honda Aero Engines,
which is based in Burlington, North Carolina. This creates a more harmonious relationship between the
assemblies as everything is designed in-house. It took a long time to complete the engine,
but the result was absolutely worth it. These engines have a thrust of 2,095 pounds
each, as well as a simple but optimized architecture for its size and performance,
incorporating a patented combustion technology that releases fewer polluting emissions.
The HF120’s are equipped with unique air blast fuel nozzles,
which are capable of producing more efficient fuel atomization,
thus reducing fuel burn and increasing efficiency. To ensure minimal pressure drop in the fuel flow,
laser-precisely drilled liner holes are used. They are more durable thanks to the use of
superalloys in the hot section, complemented by advanced engine prognostic monitoring,
thereby minimizing downtime and providing longer uninterrupted service.
The noise produced by the engines has been reduced to a minimum due to the intelligent
placement of dynamic resonant frequencies. These settings offer a quiet cabin experience. Having
the engines on the wing also reduces the noise level on the ground, which avoids the
restriction of flights to airports that, for example, are located in cities. In addition,
with this configuration, the risk of the engines sucking an object from the runway is almost zero.
The Over the Wing Engine Mount was designed by Michimasa Fujino, the lead designer of
the HondaJet in 1997. The development of this mount marked a new breakthrough in aviation
technology by improving the aerodynamics of the aircraft and providing greater interior space.
By patenting this on the HondaJet, it became the world's first business jet
to successfully incorporate this type of over-wing engine mount,
enabling it to achieve higher performance over other aircraft in its class in terms of speed,
altitude, and distance. PERFORMANCE
The aircraft is capable of reaching up to 43,000 feet in altitude in its flights and
can reach a cruising speed of 422 knots, as well as a climb rate of 4000 feet per minute.
A major advantage of the HondaJet is that since it requires a maximum of 1,219 meters of runway for
takeoff and 930 meters for landing, it can operate from very short runways without any inconvenience.
The performance in terms of distance ranges from 1,359 to 1,437 nautical miles depending on the
configuration of the aircraft. AVIONICS
When creating the aircraft, Honda tried to simplify operations as much as possible,
and many of the functions that pilots do on other machines will be done by themselves
in Honda's aircraft because the controls are largely automated. The aircraft has
an advanced flight deck, its avionics system is based on the Garmin G3000,
and is highly customized and optimized to ensure safety and ease of operation.
It has 3 high-resolution 14-inch screens, as well as 2 touch-screen controllers,
which allow to visualize multiple systems and sensors with clarity, even in IFR conditions.
It also has automatic flight guidance, and control systems, weather options and global connectivity.
It incorporates functions for aircraft performance management, allowing optimal
flight path planning to be structured, as well as automatic protection and stability functions that
promote safety. As a result, the HondaJet is certified for single-pilot operation.
SYSTEMS In this section, the aircraft incorporates
DataComm and ACARS systems, thus improving the efficiency and quality of communications,
which replace text message commands. As well as the Airborne Separation
Assurance System (ASAS), which allows the aircraft crew to know their surroundings
and maintain a safe distance from other aircraft that may be in proximity, this system provides
information on the surrounding flight traffic. Together with the traditional anti-icing system,
they reduce the pilot's workload under unfavorable weather conditions, increasing the safety of the
aircraft and passengers. VARIANTS
The HondaJet is available in 2 configurations: • The HondaJet APMG is The standard version, with
a capacity for 6 occupants distributed as 1 pilot plus 5 passengers or 2 pilots plus 4 passengers,
can achieve a range of up to 1,359 nautical miles. • The HondaJet Elite is an alternative version
with the capacity to carry 7 occupants, 1 pilot plus 6 passengers, or 2 pilots plus 5
passengers. This configuration achieves a range of up to 1,437 nautical miles.
The differences in both versions are found only in their range and crew capacity. In the rest of the
configurations and technical aspects, they are exactly the same. Both have a private bathroom,
have the same space for luggage, and are capable of traveling at a speed of up to 422 knots.
In October 2021, Honda introduced the HondaJet 2600 concept, a larger
version of the original HondaJet, with a capacity for 11 occupants,
which will be the world's first light jet capable of transcontinental flights,
thanks to its range of 2,625 nautical miles and its cruising speed of up to 450 knots.
MARKET The price of the
HondaJet in both its APMG and Elite versions is 5.3 million dollars. It is expensive,
no doubt, but considering all the comfort it offers and its uniqueness, Honda Aircraft
Company has ensured that it is worth every penny. A curious fact is that between 2015 and 2017 only
2 units of this aircraft were sold. However, in the company they did not lose their cool,
and today there are more than 200 HondaJets around the world. In 2021 they delivered 37
of these aircraft, which tells us about the rapid popularity they have had recently,
despite its high price. PROS
According to data presented by the General Aviation Manufacturers Association,
the HondaJet has been the best-selling aircraft in its category for five consecutive years.
Honda Aircraft Company has achieved with the HondaJet a product with high performance,
high quality, and maturity, which places them as leaders
in this branch of the aviation industry referred to as private business jets.
The fact of having a private bathroom makes a huge and favorable difference in favor of the HondaJet
since it is able to offer all the comforts and meet the needs that passengers may have during
the flight. CONS
Without a doubt, the HondaJet is a well-rounded product, so finding any negative aspect is not an
easy task. Perhaps the only point to improve would be the height of the interior of the cabin, since
it is only 4.8 feet from the floor to the ceiling, making it difficult for passengers to move inside,
even if only for short distances. The same can be said for every other light jet out there.
Although the wing-mounted engines could be considered negative at first glance, mainly
due to the bad reputation they had when this type of engine was first introduced
in the 1970s, they managed to become a distinctive feature of the aircraft.
It turns out that this configuration for the engine layout generated aerodynamic
interference between the wing and the engine, penalizing aircraft speed and performance.
Honda's designers wanted to revitalize this design, and by finding the optimal point for
engine placement, they succeeded not only in ensuring that speed was not penalized but also
in providing less wind resistance to the wings compared to competing models. It is certainly a
brilliant piece of design and engineering work. CONCLUSION
Thanks to innovation, technology, and attention to detail, Honda Aircraft Company has established
itself as a benchmark in the aviation industry, guaranteeing the satisfaction of its customers
because year after year they have managed to increase the global presence of HondaJet.
By 2022, they achieved HondaJet certification in 15 countries, and their maintenance and
sales service covers countries in North America, Latin America, Europe, Southeast Asia, China,
the Middle East, India, Japan, Oceania, and Russia. This is a sign that the Honda Jet
was an extremely successful debut in the world of aviation for the Japanese company. Soichiro Honda,
the founder of this successful company, would be very proud to see how much his creation has grown.
So if you are a user or are thinking of acquiring one of these aircraft,
you can feel relaxed. If you still have doubts,
don't think too much about it because this is one of the best aircraft you can find.