Luxury Airplanes

Honda Aircraft Company, a completely owned subsidiary of Honda Motor Co., Ltd., began sales of the advanced and innovative HondaJet in October 2006 in the U.S. and has quickly collected orders for well over 100 aircraft. HondaJet is Honda's first-ever commercial aircraft and lives up to the company's reputation for dynamic performance together with superior efficiency. "When I designed the HondaJet, I did not compromise performance and comfort. I did not compromise cost and quality. The concept for HondaJet was to offer both high speed performance and high fuel efficiency with superior comfort," said Fujino. Offering class-leading performance, fuel efficiency, interior cabin space and cargo capacity, HondaJet offers European business and personal light jet owners and operators a maximum cruise speed of 420 KTAS (773 kph / 483 mph) and luxurious accommodations for five passengers and two crew in its executive configuration, including a fully private lavatory.

HondaJet incorporates many innovative technological advances in aviation design, including a unique over-the-wing engine-mount configuration that dramatically improves aircraft performance and fuel efficiency by significantly reducing aerodynamic drag in flight. This innovative approach to airframe design also lowers ground-detected noise when overhead and allows for a more spacious cabin and greater cargo capacity. HondaJet is powered by two highly fuel-efficient GE Honda HF120 turbofan jet engines.

Honda Aircraft Company anticipates its first test flight of a conforming model in early 2009, with the overall timetable calling for the achievement of U.S. Federal Aviation type certification in 2010. The company is scheduled to begin deliveries of HondaJet to U.S. customers in 2010. Significantly, Honda is concurrently pursuing European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) certification with FAA certification. All HondaJet deliveries worldwide will take place at Honda Aircraft Company's new world delivery center, currently under construction along with its new world headquarters, R&D facility and production plant at the Piedmont Triad International Airport in Greensboro, North Carolina, U.S. The world headquarters and R&D facility are planned for accomplishment in summer 2008, with the construction plant and delivery center scheduled to be completed in late 2009.

Design and Development of the HondaJet.
The HondaJet is an advanced, lightweight, business jet featuring an extra large cabin, high fuel efficiency, and high cruise speed compared to existing small business jets. To achieve the high-performance goals, an over-the-wing engine-mount configuration, a natural-laminar-flow wing, and a natural-laminar-flow fuselage nose were developed through extensive analyses and wind-tunnel tests. The wing is metal, having an integral, machined skin to achieve the smooth upper surface required for natural laminar flow. The fuselage is constructed entirely of composites; the stiffened panels and the Sandwich panels are co-cured integrally in an autoclave to reduce weight and cost. The prototype aircraft has been designed and fabricated. Major ground tests such as structural proof tests, control-system proof test, system function tests, and ground-vibration tests have been completed.

Flutter Characteristics of an Over-the-Wing.
Mounting engines on the wing causes complex wing flutter characteristics. The location of the engine mass and the stiffness of the pylon relative to the wing are important in preventing hazardous wing flutter. In addition, if the nacelles are installed over the wing, aerodynamic interference between the wing and the nacelle may cause unfavorable flutter characteristics, in particular, at transonic speeds.

Wave-Drag Characteristics of an Over-the-Wing Engine Nacelle Business-Jet Configuration.
The flow over the wing is accelerated such that the aerodynamic interference between the nacelle and the wing is critical in the transonic flight regime. In general, locating nacelles over the wing causes an unfavorable aerodynamic interference and induces a strong shock wave, which results in a lower drag-divergence Mach number. If the nacelle is located at the optimum position relative to the wing, however, the shock wave can be minimized, and drag divergence occurs at a Mach number higher than that for the clean-wing configuration. Theoretical analyses and experimental measurements demonstrate that a wave-drag reduction can be achieved by locating the nacelle front face near the shock-wave position on the wing.

Natural-Laminar Flow Airfoil Development for a Lightweight Business Jet.
A 15% thick, natural-laminar-flow airfoil, the SHM-1, has been designed to satisfy requirements derived from the performance specifications for a lightweight business jet. The airfoil was tested in a low-speed wind tunnel to evaluate its low-speed performance. A fight test was also conducted to evaluate the performance of the airfoil at high Reynolds numbers and high Mach numbers. In addition, a transonic wind-tunnel test was conducted to determine the drag-divergence characteristics.