12/21/2010:
Honda Achieves First Flight Of FAA-Conforming
HondaJet
Aircraft Delivery On Track For 2012
Big news coming from Honda Aircraft Company. ANN has learned
that Honda has successfully completed the first flight of its
FAA-conforming HondaJet advanced light
business jet. The event
is a significant step in Honda's aerospace program leading to
delivery of aircraft in 2012.
Photo Courtesy Honda Aircraft Company
The first conforming HondaJet lifted off, December 20, 2010, at
1531 EST from Honda Aircraft Company's world headquarters
facility at the Piedmont Triad
International Airport in
Greensboro, North Carolina. The HondaJet remained aloft for 51
minutes, during which time the aircraft's flight characteristics
and
performance were analyzed and systems checks were conducted.
Various test data gathered during the flight were transmitted
real-time to Honda's flight test
telemetry operations base
within the company's world headquarters facility.
Photo Courtesy Honda Aircraft Company
"This is a very important milestone for the HondaJet program,"
said Michimasa Fujino, Honda Aircraft Company President and CEO.
"This aircraft was assembled and
tested under strict FAA
certification processes, and we are very pleased to have
achieved this successful first flight. Our team has worked
extremely hard to reach
this critical step in the HondaJet
program, and these results reflect Honda's focus and
determination to develop a class-leading aircraft."
"We are very encouraged by our initial review of the flight
data, which indicates the conforming HondaJet performed as
expected. As we move forward, we will
continue to focus all of
our efforts and energy to deliver to our customers the most
advanced light business jet yet created," said Fujino.
Photo Courtesy Honda Aircraft Company
To support the company's certification program, Honda has
completed its second FAA-conforming aircraft, which already has
undergone numerous structural tests
required for commencement of
certification flight testing. Honda also has completed mating of
main assemblies for its third FAA-conforming aircraft, which is
now in
the systems installation phase of completion. This third
conforming aircraft, to be used mainly for mechanical systems
flight testing, is scheduled to be completed in
early 2011. A
total of five FAA-conforming aircraft, including one additional
flight test aircraft and one additional structural test
aircraft, are planned to support the
HondaJet certification
program.
Photo Courtesy Honda Aircraft Company
While Honda enters the flight test program with its conforming
HondaJet, the company also nears completion of its aircraft
production facility on its Greensboro
campus. The 266,000 ft2 HondaJet production facility is scheduled for completion in
early 2011, with the final phase of interior build-out now
underway. Upon
completion of the production facility, Honda will
begin the process of moving equipment and personnel into the
facility and undertaking pre-production preparations
and
training necessary to support HondaJet production ramp-up
beginning in 2012.
Ground Testing Underway For First Conforming
Aircraft
HondaJet Program Update Released At 2010 NBAA
Honda Aircraft Company said Monday at the annual NBAA convention
that ground testing is underway on its first conforming HondaJet
flight test aircraft, and static
structural stress testing in
progress on its second conforming aircraft. Assembly is also
underway on the third conforming flight test aircraft.
With the installation of electrical, hydraulic, mechanical and
environmental control systems, the first conforming flight test
aircraft has entered the ground testing
stage in preparation for
first flight. Systems tests already completed on the conforming
aircraft include, among others: oxygen, fuel tank and vapor
cycle systems
tests; landing gear deployment tests; steering and
brake tests; flight control tests; power distribution tests;
core navigation functions (VOR/ILS/GPS) tests; primary
air data
and attitude/heading sensor tests; and integrated avionic system
functional tests. Additional tests completed at supplier
facilities include: DC motor pump
extreme environmental
condition tests; hydraulic and electrical component tests;
landing gear actuator vibration tests; landing gear drop tests;
and crew and cabin
seat crash tests.
Exterior treatment of the first conforming flight test aircraft
also is complete with the application of a new HondaJet paint
scheme. Featuring a metallic silver-over-
white profile combined
with a distinctive sweeping fuselage stripe in dark metallic
gray, the aircraft sports a bisecting white and dark metallic
gray combination stripe
extending from its nose over the upper
fuselage, further enhancing the HondaJet's unique image of
dynamic performance.
Assembly of the second conforming aircraft - to be used for
static structural stress testing - was completed in July.
Following control surfaces FAA testing, including
rudder and
elevator tests, static structural stress tests of the entire
aircraft have commenced and included: 100% limit-load wing
tests; 100% limit-load horizontal
stabilizer tests; wing
stiffness tests; landing gear load tests; pylon stiffness tests;
and fuselage pressure tests. Static structural stress testing
has been undertaken
at Honda Aircraft Company's R&D facility on
its Greensboro, North Carolina, campus.
"In addition to the more than 500 flight hours we have
accumulated on the proof of concept HondaJet, the successful
completion of this robust range of static
structural stress
tests on the conforming aircraft significantly reinforces the
advantages of the HondaJet's advanced design," said Michimasa
Fujino, Honda Aircraft
Company's President and CEO.
All static structural stress tests are conducted utilizing
Honda's advanced structural test system. The system incorporates
61 hydraulic actuators and a 2,600-channel
data acquisition
system within a structural test fixture designed exclusively for HondaJet testing. The entire aircraft can be tested
simultaneously to prove static and
fatigue strength under
various flight- and ground-load conditions. Testing will
continue on static test aircraft as the HondaJet program moves
through the
certification process. The fourth conforming
aircraft will be used for fatigue testing scheduled for 2012.
Honda is now focused on assembly of the third conforming
aircraft to be used for flight testing of mechanical systems.
The fuselage and empennage for this aircraft
have been
completed, while the wing assembly nears completion. Final
assembly of this aircraft is scheduled to begin soon at Honda's
R&D facility on its Greensboro
campus.
Testing of aircraft systems on conforming flight test aircraft
are supported through the implementation of Honda's Advanced
Systems Integration Test Facility (ASITF)
. Honda's ASITF
confirms before first flight the integration of the aircraft's
electrical, avionics, mechanical and flight control systems,
including stall warning protection
systems (SWPS) and rudder
bias systems (RBS). The HondaJet ASITF incorporates a fully
representative primary flight control system with a
high-fidelity control-
loading system.
The HondaJet ASITF also incorporates actual aircraft systems
hardware and software, installed in a spatially-representative
manner and interconnected with actual
aircraft electrical
harnesses. Additional simulation capabilities have been
integrated to provide real-time simulation of navigation RF
data, including GPS.
"Honda's Advanced Systems Integration Test Facility is a
powerful tool that will support the most efficient development
and certification process possible for the
HondaJet. By
effectively identifying any developmental issues at the earliest
possible stages of the process, our ASITF system will support an
accelerated program
momentum and, ultimately, help us create the
best possible aircraft," said Fujino.
At this year's NBAA, Honda released HondaJet production cockpit
and cabin designs featuring production parts, reflecting the
quality of materials, colors and finishes
to be available in
delivery aircraft. The HondaJet's cockpit design has been
updated to reflect the maturity of Honda's human factors
engineering efforts and flight
test evaluations.
With all that going on, construction of the HondaJet production
facility on the company's Greensboro campus is quickly nearing
completion. The 250,000 ft2
production facility is now in the
final phase of construction, with interior build-out well
underway. The facility is scheduled for completion in early
2011, at which time
pre-production preparations and training of
production staff will begin. Upon completion, the production
facility's two state-of-the-art painting facilities will be
utilized
to support finishing of additional conforming aircraft,
thereby supplementing the painting capacity of Honda's R&D
facility on campus. In addition, the HondaJet
production
facility will incorporate Flight Safety International Level-D,
full-motion flight simulators for training of all HondaJet
pilots and crew.
Big News!
Honda Aero To Build HF120
Turbofan At KBUY
Facility...Sweet Home...
North Carolina?
The Tar Heel State suits
Honda just fine. Building on
news earlier this year the
Honda Aircraft Company
selected Piedmont Triad
International Airport (KGSO)
near Greensboro as the site
for production of its
HondaJet VLJ (shown at
center), on Tuesday Honda
Aero, Inc., announced it
will establish its corporate
headquarters and a jet
engine manufacturing plant
in Burlington, NC adjacent
to the Burlington-Alamance
Regional Airport (KBUY).
The new facility will
produce jet engines
developed and marketed by GE
Honda Aero Engines, a joint
venture between GE and Honda
Aero established in 2004 for
the development,
certification and
commercialization of jet
engines in the 1,000 to
3,500 pounds thrust class.
The 102,400-square foot
Honda Aero facility will
consist of 36,000 square
feet of office space, a
58,400-square foot
production plant, and an
8,000-square foot engine
test cell. Production at the
new engine plant will begin
in late 2010 with the
manufacture of the GE Honda
HF120 turbofan engine in the
2,000-pound thrust class.
Honda Aero will employ
approximately 70 associates
when the plant reaches its
initial production plan of
200 engines per year within
about one year of production
startup. The company will
invest approximately $27
million for construction of
the headquarters and
manufacturing facility,
including equipment.
"This is a major step
forward for our company, as
we move to establish the
home of our jet engine
manufacturing operations
here in Burlington," said
Fumitaka Hasegawa, president
and CEO of Honda Aero, Inc.
"Just as our partnership
with GE has created this
class-leading engine, this
facility reflects an
important new partnership
between Honda and North
Carolina."
Honda Aero
representatives say the GE
Honda HF120 boasts a higher
thrust-to-weight ratio,
higher fuel efficiency,
lower emissions and the
quietest operation in its
thrust class. The turbofan
will power two of the newest
products in the business jet
market -- Spectrum
Aeronautical's Freedom
(below) and HondaJet, to be
produced by the Honda
Aircraft Company.
The HF120 is a higher
thrust successor to Honda's
original HF118 prototype
engine, which has
accumulated more than 4,000
hours of testing on the
ground and in-flight.
Honda research on jet
engine technology started in
1986, with development of
the HF118 engine beginning
in the late 1990s. GE-Honda
collaboration on the HF120
began in early 2005. The
first core test of the GE
Honda HF120 was conducted in
early 2007, and full-engine
testing is expected later in
the year.
Honda Aircraft Breaks Ground On NC
Headquarters
Company Plans To Begin Deliveries In 2010
Honda Aircraft Company broke ground on its
369,000-square-foot headquarters and manufacturing facility
in a ceremony Wednesday at Piedmont Triad International
Airport. The company announced the plan to establish
its world headquarters and jet plant in Greensboro, NC, in
February. The facility will be the center of all activity
related to HondaJet, including type certification, all
sales, marketing and service support activity, as well as
continued research and development activities.
It expects to employ more than 300
associates at its headquarters and manufacturing facilities
once the plant reaches full production, according to the
company. Representatives of Honda, Greensboro,
Winston-Salem and High Point took a turn at the shovel
during the ground-breaking ceremony. "By breaking
ground for this new Honda Aircraft facility today, we take
the next important step in getting HondaJets into the skies
tomorrow," said Michimasa Fujino, president and CEO of Honda
Aircraft.
Greensboro Mayor Keith Holliday said the
day would be "a day to remember." The three Triad cities
contributed to an incentives package offered to Honda to
secure both the headquarters and manufacturing facility.
Total investment for the project is expected to be around
$100 million, according to the NC Business Journal.
Winston-Salem Mayor Allen Joines said, "The fact that you
see the three cities standing here demonstrates that the
Triad can and does work together for economic development."
Honda plans to begin deliveries of the
jets to customers in 2010. The first phase of construction
which will consist of 219,000 square feet of offices,
research facilities and an airplane hangar is scheduled to
be completed in the spring of 2008.
The HondaJet is the first
aircraft developed by the Honda
Motor Company that will be made
available to the general aviation
market. The HondaJet made its maiden
flight in December 2003 and was
debuted to the public at the EAA
AirVenture air show in Oshkosh,
Wisconsin, in July 2005. On July 25,
2006, Honda returned to Oshkosh to
announce it would commercialize the
HondaJet, establishing the Honda
Aircraft Company to seek both type
and production certification of the
HondaJet with production to take
place in the United States. The
company will begin taking customer
orders for HondaJet in the fall of
2006 with delivery beginning in 2010
at a price of approximately $3.65
million US. The plan is to build 70
jets per year.
In August 2006 Honda and Piper
Aircraft announced a partnership to
market the HondaJet.
Development
Honda began research into small
sized business jets in the late
1980s, using engines from other
manufacturers. The Honda MH02, an
organic matrix composite prototype,
was fabricated and assembled at
Mississippi State University's
Raspet Flight Research Laboratory in
the late 1980s and early 1990s. This
research led to Honda developing its
own small turbofan jet engine, the
HF120 in 1999. The HF120, which was
developed with GE-Aviation under the
GE Honda partnership, was test-flown
on a Cessna Citation and on a
modified Boeing 727-100. The engine
features a single fan, a two-stage
compressor and a two-stage turbine.
Further design testing on wing shape
and design were done on a Lockheed
T-33 Shooting Star, modified by
AVTEL Services, Inc, and flight
tested at the Mojave Airport. The
HondaJet made its first flight on
December 3, 2003 at the Piedmont
Triad International Airport in
Greensboro, North Carolina, and its
first public presentation was on
July 28, 2005 at EAA's AirVenture
Oshkosh in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
Features
Honda decided to go with an
unusual over-the-wing podded engine
configuration, a feature developed
on the Fokker VFW-614 decades
earlier, which allows for more space
within the fuselage and reduction in
drag at higher speeds. The fuselage
itself is made from lightweight
composite materials, while the wings
are made from structurally
reinforced single sheets of
aluminum. The use of a single sheet
allows for a smoother surface than
more conventional methods. Honda
claims that the combination of
lightweight materials, aerodynamics
and the efficient engines gives the
HondaJet a 30-35% higher fuel
efficiency than other similar
aircraft. The aircraft is
equipped with a Garmin G1000 glass
cockpit system (i.e. most of the
cockpit readouts are presented on
flat-panel displays).
