Honda's New Jet

Honda Partners With Piper
Tue, 25 Jul '06

Honda and Piper Aircraft to Form New Business Alliance


Honda has committed to production of the innovative Honda TwinJet, and Piper
has been named a
partner in a venture that will in part, result in the production of that
aircraft in the United States.

Honda confirmed their plans to enter the innovative HondaJet in the growing
very light jet market,
with the process of accepting sales orders expected to begin in the U.S. in
fall 2006. Toward this
goal, Honda will establish a new U.S. company to hold FAA type certification
and production
certification. Honda's goal is to complete type certification in about 3-4
years, followed
by the start of production in the U.S.

Making the announcement at the EAA AirVenture 2006, the world's largest
annual aviation gathering,
Honda also revealed plans to form a business alliance with Piper Aircraft,
Inc. to collaborate on
sales and service, and to explore opportunities in engineering and other
areas within general and
business aviation.

Honda and Piper will provide a new level of sales and service to meet the
needs of jet customers
with the goal of setting a higher standard for the quality of the ownership
experience.
No specific details regarding additional collaboration were announced.


"Aviation has been an important dream of Honda for more than four decades,"
said Satoshi Toshida,
senior managing director of Honda Motor Co., Ltd. "Our goal is consistent
with the philosophy of
other Honda products -- to provide convenient and efficient transportation
that will make people's
lives better. We are excited now to enter a new dimension of mobility."

"In Piper we believe we have a partner we can collaborate with in our effort
to bring new value to
customers in the very light jet market," said Toshida.

"Honda is a company with a rich heritage of bringing high quality,
innovative products to market,"
said James K. Bass, president and CEO of Piper Aircraft, Inc. "This business
alliance is a perfect
fit given the commitment both Piper and Honda have to providing our
respective customers with
world class products and services. Piper is very excited about this alliance
and the way it
complements our vision for the future."

HondaJet features several innovations that help it achieve far better fuel
efficiency, larger cabin
and luggage space and higher cruise speed than conventional aircraft in its
class. The announcement
to commercialize HondaJet comes one year after the plane made its world
public debut at
EAA AirVenture 2005 in Oshkosh, Wis.

The result of 20 years of aviation research, key HondaJet innovations
include a patented over-the-wing
engine-mount configuration, a natural-laminar flow (NLF) wing and fuselage
nose, and an advanced
all-composite fuselage structure.

"We want to create new value within the aviation market through the unique
new design of HondaJet,"
said Michimasa Fujino, HondaJet project leader and vice president of Honda
R&D Americas, Inc. "Our
goal is to deliver three key attributes -- performance, quality and
comfort -- beyond what people
currently expect from light business jets."

HondaJet's NLF wing and NLF fuselage nose were developed through extensive
analyses and wind-tunnel
testing. These designs help HondaJet achieve low drag. HondaJet's patented
over-the-wing engine-mount
configuration helps eliminate the need for a structure to mount the engines
to the rear fuselage,
maximizing space in the fuselage for passengers and luggage. Further, by
determining the optimal
position for the engines, the over-the-wing mount actually reduces drag at
high speed to improve
fuel efficiency.

The advanced all-composite fuselage structure consists of a combination of
honeycomb sandwich
structure and co-cured stiffened panels. It was developed to reduce weight
and manufacturing costs.
This aircraft is also outfitted with a state-of-the-art all-glass flight
deck with an integrated
avionics system that displays all information digitally on a high resolution
flat display,
and also has an autopilot function.

To date the prototype six-to-seven seat HondaJet has completed more than 240
hours of flight-testing
since December 2003. So far, the prototype HondaJet has achieved an altitude
of 43,000 feet and a
speed of 412 knots and is on course to meet or exceed all of its design
specifications.

FMI: http://world.honda.com/HondaJet/

Photos at alt.binaries.pictures.aviation

 

Pretty interesting. The first uniqueness that pops out is that the
engines are mounted above the wings. Perhaps it reduces the cabin noise
and vibration?

Seems Honda began thinking about it back in 1986.
http://world.honda.com/HondaJet/history/

 

The patented over-wing mounting increases passenger room by
eliminating the structure which would otherwise be inside the fuselage
to mount the engines. It also allows optimal placement of the engine
for improved aerodynamic efficiency. They don't say anything about
reducing noise and vibration.