Customers in the United States Begin to Receive Deliveries of the HondaJet

Honda Aircraft Company has been working on the HondaJet for more than 20 years and now has started deliveries of the $4.5 million airplane in both North America and Europe. In April, at the Aero Friedrichshafen general-aviation show in Germany, the first European delivery was made to Rheinland Air Service, a dealer who will promote the airplane to the business-aviation market. Customer deliveries for the United States began from the company’s headquarters in Greensboro, N.C., in December. New pilots are being trained there in a full-motion flight simulator before moving into the jet cockpit. In March, Mexican authorities also certified the jet.

April also saw Honda start construction on a $21-million, 50,000-square-foot facility in Burlington, N.C., that will provide more space for manufacturing the jet’s all-new GE Honda HF120 engines, which the company has been marketing to other light-jet manufacturers. The HondaJet’s unique over-the-wing engine mounts help to keep the cabin quiet while adding to the airplane’s aerodynamic efficiency. The cockpit can be managed by a single pilot and features a customized version of Garmin’s popular G3000 touchscreen avionics. The HondaJet can transport five passengers up to 1,360 miles without refueling, at cruise speeds of up to 483 mph. (hondajet.com)