Honda's New Jet and Honda Turbine Engines

Flight Tests of Honda Experimental Business Jet Begin

Tokyo, December 16, 2003 --- Honda Motor Co., Ltd. announced today
that the HondaJet, its new experimental compact business jet equipped
with Honda-developed HF118 jet engines, successfully completed initial
flight tests this month at Piedmont Triad Airport in North Carolina,
US.

Compared with conventional jets, this experimental aircraft offers
superior fuel efficiency and remarkable cabin space. The engines are
optimally positioned on the upper surface of the main wing in a unique
configuration that reduces drag at high speeds and increases cruising
efficiency. This layout also eliminates the need for structural engine
mounts in the fuselage, creating over 30% more cabin space than in a
conventional aircraft.

The fuselage is a compact and lightweight co-cured carbon composite
structure, yet realizes the largest cabin in its class. The main wing,
which features aluminum skin panels formed from single sheets of
aluminum that provide a smoother surface than conventional wing
configurations, along with Honda's proprietary turbulence-reducing
laminar airfoil, work together to significantly improve aerodynamic
performance. Additional drag-reducing technologies include the
fuselage nose, which is designed to generate laminar flow. These
features, in combination with Honda's fuel-efficient HF118 Turbofan
Engine, achieve fuel efficiency over 40% higher than conventional
aircraft.

This experimental aircraft is also fitted with a state-of-the-art
glass cockpit with an integrated avionics system, as well as an
autopilot function, anti-icing equipment, and other systems. The jet
is scheduled to undergo approximately 200 hours of flight-testing to
demonstrate and verify the operability and performance characteristics
of its various systems.

Honda began research into compact business jets in 1986, using engines
provided by other manufacturers. The HF118 Turbofan Engine-equipped
HondaJet experimental compact jet is the first Honda-developed
aircraft to be outfitted with a Honda engine, a significant milestone
for the company and the industry.


http://world.honda.com/news/2003/c031216_2.html

http://world.honda.com/news/2003/c031216_2.html

Dear Honda Claus,

I would like one of these for Christmas. Please deliver it to my local
airport because my chimney is too small.

And make sure you put a tag with _my_ name so my dopey sister doesn't think
it's for her. You can hang it on that bird stabber thing up front.

I promise I will be better next year,

Little Johnny