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Honda Aircraft Company

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Honda Aircraft Company
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryAviation
FoundedAugust 2006; 18 years ago (August 2006)
FounderMichimasa Fujino
Headquarters
Greensboro, North Carolina
,
United States
Key people
Hideto Yamasaki
(President and CEO)
ProductsVery light jets
Number of employees
1,200+ as of October 2014[1]
ParentHonda Motor Co., Ltd
Websitewww.hondajet.com

Honda Aircraft Company is an aircraft manufacturer headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina, responsible for the production of the HondaJet family of aircraft. Originally a secret research project within Honda R&D, Honda Aircraft Company was formed as a wholly owned subsidiary of Honda Motor Company in August 2006 under the leadership of HondaJet designer Michimasa Fujino.[2] Honda Aircraft Company began delivering aircraft to customers in late 2015, and by the first half of 2017 its HondaJet had become the top-selling twin-engine light business jet.[3][4][5]

Honda Aircraft has introduced a number of innovations in general aviation (GA) jet aircraft, including an over-wing engine mount, natural laminar flow wings, and carbon composite fuselage.[6][7][8][9] The engine placement in particular overcame the limitations of earlier designs, allowing for reduced wave drag, and increased cabin and baggage space.[7] Honda Aircraft Company was also the first aircraft manufacturer to collaborate with Garmin to develop glass cockpits for GA jet aircraft.[10] In recognition for its contributions to aircraft design and business aviation, Honda Aircraft Company was awarded the AIAA Foundation Award for Excellence in 2018.[11][12]

History

HondaJet in 2006

Honda’s aircraft research began as a top-secret research project within Honda R&D in 1986.[13] The project was initially just a team of four engineers as Honda built up its aviation division from scratch.[14] Lead designer Michimasa Fujino first developed the concept for the flagship “HondaJet” in 1997, and development began in 2000 when the engineering team relocated to the Piedmont Triad International Airport in Greensboro, North Carolina.[15] Until 2005, the HondaJet team operated out of a single hangar, and kept press releases to a minimum.[16] The proof-of-concept HondaJet first flew on December 8, 2003. In 2006, twenty years after the research project began, Honda Aircraft Company was founded as a wholly owned subsidiary of Honda Motor.[17]

Honda Aircraft Company’s first aircraft, the HondaJet, introduced a number of technological innovations to business aviation. The most notable is the over-wing engine mount, which improves aerodynamics and allows for a longer, quieter cabin by removing the engines from the wings.[7] Past attempts at over-wing engine placement resulted in unacceptable drag at high speeds.[18] In contrast, the HondaJet’s engines are placed in such a way as to actually reduce drag by combining the airflow around the engine with that over the wing.[19][6] Honda Aircraft also achieved a natural laminar flow wing design by constructing the HondaJet wing out of a single piece of aluminum, thereby minimizing the number of parts capable of obstructing airflow.[8][20] It also uses an entirely carbon composite fuselage, which both reduces aircraft weight and allows for improved airflow over the fuselage.[7][6][21] In recognition of these accomplishments, Honda Aircraft Company received several awards, such as the AIAA Foundation Award for Excellence in 2018 and the Flying Innovation Award from Flying Magazine in 2017.[22][11]

After Honda decided to commercialize the HondaJet program, Fujino was tasked with transforming his small research team of thirty engineers into a large-scale company capable of aircraft manufacture and providing long-term customer support.[23] Fujino searched for employees from across the world, eventually creating an international, multi-lingual staff.[24] Between 2006 and 2015, Honda Motors invested over $200 million to expand the Honda Aircraft Company facilities from a single hangar to an over 133-acre campus consisting of an R&D center, manufacturing plant, customer service center, and office headquarters.[25] As of 2024, the company has delivered over 250 of their aircraft to customers in over 40 countries.[26] Honda Aircraft Company and its CEO Michimasa Fujino served as a case study for Harvard Business School professor Gary Pisano, who in his 2019 book Creative Construction classifies Honda Aircraft as an example of start-up like behavior within a large, established corporation.[27]

In 2015, the Honda Aircraft Company received type certification for its first aircraft, the HondaJet.[28][29] The first delivery occurred on December 23, 2015.[30] In 2018, the company introduced the HondaJet Elite, which featured upgraded avionics, increased range, and an optional galley.[31][32] That same year, Honda Aircraft Company began offering the HondaJet APMG to existing HondaJet customers, which provided many of the upgrades seen in the HondaJet Elite. In May 2021, the company announced the HondaJet Elite S, which improved on the Elite’s avionics system, maximum takeoff weight, and range.[33]

After receiving FAA type-certification in 2015, over the next few years Honda Aircraft Company expanded its sales operations to many other countries.[34][35][36][37]

In 2018, Honda Aircraft Company began partnering with other companies to provide aircraft for charter.[38][39][40]

On May 20, 2019, Honda Aircraft Company announced that they were building a new 15.5 million dollar facility in Greensboro N.C.,[41] which was completed in September 2020.[42]

In October 2021, Honda Aircraft unveiled the HondaJet 2600 Concept, a new aircraft concept, during the 2021 NBAA Convention held in Las Vegas.[43] This concept design uses many of the elements of the original HondaJet, such as the over-wing engine placement, but features a larger cabin with room for 11 passengers and a longer range of 2,625 nm (4,862 km). Honda Aircraft announced the HondaJet 2600 Concept to determine market interest, and subsequently announced the commercialization of the concept on June 13, 2023.[44]

In February 2022, Honda Aircraft announced that founder Michimasa Fujino would retire as president and CEO of the company on April 1, and that Honda Motor vice president Hideto Yamasaki would assume leadership of Honda Aircraft upon the retirement of Fujino, who would continue as a consultant for the company.[45]

In October 2023, Honda Aircraft named the Honda 2600 Concept the HondaJet Echelon during the 2023 NBAA Convention in Las Vegas. The development timeline for the project includes construction beginning in early 2024, with the first flight planned in 2026 and certification anticipated in 2028.[46]

Aircraft

Summary of aircraft built by Honda Aircraft Company
Model name Type Certified Type
Hondajet 2015 Twin-engine light business jet, 6-passenger
HondaJet APMG 2018 Twin-engine light business jet, 6-passenger
HondaJet Elite 2018 Twin-engine light business jet, 8-passenger
HondaJet Elite II 2022 Twin-engine light business jet, 8-passenger
HondaJet Echelon Twin-engine light business jet, 10-passenger[47]

References

  1. ^ Arcieri, Katie (20 October 2014). "Honda Aircraft Co. begins construction on $19M expansion at PTI; total work force is now 1,200+". Triad Business Journal. American City Business Journals. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
  2. ^ Holden, Henry M. (February 2007). "HondaJet: On a Wing and a Dare". Airport Journals. Retrieved 23 January 2015.
  3. ^ Pisano, Gary (January 2019). Creative Construction: The DNA of Sustained Innovation. New York: PublicAffairs. p. 112. ISBN 978-1-61039-877-0.
  4. ^ Nonaka, Ikujiro; Takeuchi, Hirotaka (2019). The Wise Company: How Companies Create Continuous Innovation. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 9. ISBN 9780190497019.
  5. ^ "General Aviation Aircraft Shipment Report - 2017 Year End" (PDF). General Aviation Manufacturers Association. May 8, 2018.
  6. ^ a b c Haines, Thomas B. (August 5, 2005). "HondaJet. Behind The Curtain" (PDF). aopa.com. Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
  7. ^ a b c d Fujino, Michimasa (May–June 2005). "Design and Development of the HondaJet" (PDF). Journal of Aircraft. 42 (3): 755–764. doi:10.2514/1.12268. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
  8. ^ a b Fujino, Michimasa; Yuichi Yoshizaki; Yuichi Kawamura (July–August 2003). "Natural-Laminar-Flow Airfoil Development for a Lightweight business Jet" (PDF). Journal of Aircraft. 40 (4): 609–615. doi:10.2514/2.3145. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
  9. ^ Fujino, Michimasa (2013). "Case Study 4: HondaJet". In Carichner, Grant E.; Nicolai, Leland M. (eds.). Fundamentals of Aircraft and Airship Design, Volume 2 – Airship Design and Case Studies. American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. pp. 615–647. ISBN 978-1-60086-898-6.
  10. ^ Matoon, Jeff (May–June 2012). "Fujino's Form: An In Depth Look into HondaJet and its Visionary Leader" (PDF). Pilot Magazine. p. 6. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
  11. ^ a b "Aircraft Design Award". AIAA. 2018.
  12. ^ Olsen, Patricia R. (October 12, 2018). "From Business Jet Designer to Company C.E.O." The New York Times. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
  13. ^ Fujino, Michimasa (2013). "Case Study 4: HondaJet". In Carichner, Grant E.; Nicolai, Leland M. (eds.). Fundamentals of Aircraft and Airship Design, Volume 2 – Airship Design and Case Studies. American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. p. 645. ISBN 978-1-60086-898-6.
  14. ^ Pisano, Gary; Shulman, Jesse (January 2018). "Flying into the Future: HondaJet". Harvard Business School Case (618–012): 2–3. Retrieved August 20, 2020. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  15. ^ Barbara De Lollis (September 26, 2006). "Honda Brings Small Jet Dynamo to Market". USA Today International Edition.
  16. ^ Muller, Joann (May 25, 2015). "How The HondaJet Took Flight: An Engineer's 29-Year Obsession". Forbes.
  17. ^ Maynard, Micheline (July 25, 2006). "Honda Enters the Aviation Market". The New York Times. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
  18. ^ Berguin, Steven H.; Sudharshan Ashwin Renganathan; Jai Ahuja; Mengzhen Chen; Christian Perron; Jimmy Tai; Dimitri N. Mavris (October 2018). CFD Study of an Over-Wing Nacelle Configuration (Technical report). Georgia Institute of Technology. 1853/60464.
  19. ^ Fujino, Michimasa (2013). "Case Study 4: HondaJet". In Carichner, Grant E.; Nicolai, Leland M. (eds.). Fundamentals of Aircraft and Airship Design, Volume 2 – Airship Design and Case Studies. American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. pp. 620–622. ISBN 978-1-60086-898-6.
  20. ^ Christopher Neiger (2013). "How the HondaJet Works".
  21. ^ Gardiner, Ginger (May 1, 2012). "Composite Fuselage Helps Hondajet Upend Biz-Jet Market". Compositesworld.com. Gardner Business Media. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
  22. ^ "HondaJet Wins Flying Innovation Award". Flying. July 25, 2017.
  23. ^ Pisano, Gary; Shulman, Jesse (January 2018). "Flying into the Future: HondaJet". Harvard Business School Case (618–012): 1, 5–6. Retrieved August 20, 2020. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  24. ^ Weiman, Dave (August 6, 2011). "Honda Aircraft Company – Poised For Production, Poised for Success!". MidwestFlyer.com. Midwest Flyer. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
  25. ^ "Honda Aircraft Company to Build New HondaJet Aircraft Maintenance Facility in Greensboro, North Carolina" (Press release). Greensboro: Honda. 30 July 2019. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
  26. ^ Honda Aircraft Company. "HondaJet Brochure" (PDF). Retrieved August 20, 2020.
  27. ^ Pisano, Gary (January 2019). Creative Construction: The DNA of Sustained Innovation. New York: PublicAffairs. p. 8. ISBN 978-1-61039-877-0.
  28. ^ "HondaJet Receives Type Certification From Federal Aviation Administration" (Press release). Greensboro, NC: Honda. 9 December 2015. Retrieved 23 January 2016.
  29. ^ "TYPE CERTIFICATE DATA SHEET NO. A00018AT Revision 0" (PDF). FAA. December 8, 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 21, 2021. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
  30. ^ "Honda Aircraft Company Begins HondaJet Deliveries" (Press release). Greensboro, NC: Honda. 23 December 2015. Retrieved 23 January 2016.
  31. ^ Bergqvist, Pia (May 29, 2018). "Honda Aircraft Launches HondaJet Elite". flyingmag.com. Flying. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
  32. ^ Francis, Scott (May 30, 2018). "Honda Aircraft Introduces HondaJet Elite". compositesworld.com. Gardner Business Media. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
  33. ^ Jon Hemmerdinger (26 May 2021). "Honda unveils new HondaJet variant, Elite S". Flight Global.
  34. ^ Bergqvist, Pia (May 24, 2016). "HondaJet Achieves EASA Certification". flyingmag.com. Flying. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
  35. ^ Bollinger, Luke (4 April 2018). "Following a trend of global expansion, HondaJet receives certification in two South American countries". Triad Business Journal. American City Business Journals. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
  36. ^ Waldron, Gregy (December 13, 2018). "HondaJet Elite receives Japan certification". Flight Global. DVV Media International Limited. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
  37. ^ "Honda Aircraft Company Begins Deliveries of HondaJet Elite to China" (Press release). Greensboro: Honda. 10 December 2019. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
  38. ^ Bollinger, Luke (March 27, 2018). "Honda Aircraft, Japan's largest airline strike HondaJet partnership". bizjournals.com/triad. American City Business Journals. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
  39. ^ Warfield, Andy (December 20, 2019). "Triad company taking fractional ownership of HondaJets into the friendly skies". bizjournals.com/triad. American City Business Journals. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
  40. ^ Sibenmark, Jerry (July 23, 2019). "Wing Spirit Expands HondaJet Order to 15". ainonline.com. The Convention News Company. Retrieved August 20, 2020.
  41. ^ "Honda Aircraft Company to build new $15.5 million facility in Greensboro". 20 May 2019.
  42. ^ Warfield, Andy (14 January 2021). "Honda Aircraft Co. begins operations at new Wing Production and Service Parts Facility at PTI". Triad Business Journal. American City Business Journals. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
  43. ^ Matt Thurber (October 12, 2021). "Honda Aircraft Unveils 2600 'Concept' Jet". AIN online.
  44. ^ Boatman, Julie (2023-06-13). "Honda Aircraft Reveals Certification Plan for HondaJet 2600 Concept". FLYING Magazine. Retrieved 2023-10-16.
  45. ^ Honda Aircraft Founder Set to Retire - AOPA
  46. ^ "Honda goes for the upper Echelon". www.aopa.org. 2023-10-16. Retrieved 2023-10-16.
  47. ^ "Elevating Efficiency to New Heights". Honda Aircraft Company.
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