On December 3rd 2003, a prototype of the Honda HA-420 HondaJet took to the skies for the very first time. Yes, that Honda. The company famous for Civics, lawnmowers, and outboard boat motors also happens to be in the aircraft manufacturing business. Let’s take a closer look at the flying Honda.
It all started with a sketch
The history of the aptly named HondaJet traces back to 1997. Aeronautical engineer (and later founding president of Honda Aircraft Company) Michimasa Fujino had one of those middle-of-the-night ideas that engineers dream (pun intended) about. Unable to find paper, he grabbed a calendar, tore off the back cover, and sketched something that would make aviation fans raise their eyebrows: jet engines mounted on top of the wings.
A bit of backstory here. All aviation design will naturally have its pros and cons. To some extent, it’s all about coming up with a preferred compromise. Most business jets opt for rear-mounted engines. This results in a shorter landing gear (great when you’re climbing aboard) and increased ground clearance (good for runways that perhaps doesn’t receive the same TLC as your big international airport).
But there’s also a good reason why few have even considered mounting engines on top of the wings. In theory doing so will disrupt airflow, increase drag, and reduce lift. Essentially all the bad stuff, if you’re an aeronautical engineer. There’s also a deterring precedent as Fokker tried it with the short lived VFW-Fokker 614 in the 1970s. The reception was less than stellar and the program quickly faded into the more obscure halls of aviation fame.
Honda perseveres
All this considered, in true stubborn manner, Michimasa Fujino didn’t cave. After more than 20 years of research, engineers at Honda finally found a sweet spot. Mounting the engines on pylons, at a very specific location on the wing, worked wonders.
The result saw a reduction in wave drag compared to conventional rear-mounted configurations, and a 5% better lift-to-drag ratio than similar rear-engined aircraft. Good aerodynamics typically will also show when ogling fuel numbers. At cruise, the HA-420 burns approximately 104 gallons per hour, significantly better than the Cessna Citation M2’s 120 gallons per hour or the Embraer Phenom 100’s 130 gallons per hour. Nice.
Speaking of engines, motor heritage aside, when it came to equip the HondaJet with what professionals refer to as “oomph-machines”, Honda decided to team up with what today is known as GE Aerospace. Jointly the two developed the GE Honda HF120 turbofan engine, each delivering slightly north of 2,000 pounds of thrust.
Slowly but steadily
Honda’s been entertaining the idea of getting into the aircraft sector for quite some time. In fact, the company started researching the concept of a compact business jet already back in 1986. The first experimental aircraft, the MH-02, flew in 1993. Finally, the HondaJet proof-of-concept made its maiden flight in 2003, but certification took a great deal longer. In December of 2015, the HondaJet received its type certificate by the FAA. Europe and EASA followed suit the year after. Yes, you read that right—that’s three decades after the company had initially started to toy with the idea of building a business jet of their own.
When you’re tracking flights on Flightradar24, HondaJets are identifiable by their ICAO designator HDJT. Pro tip: they’re most commonly found zipping around and above North America.
The evolution of the HondaJet
Given its brief time in the air, the HondaJet impressively already has evolved through several variants. Given its Japanese heritage, it’s noteworthy to point out that all HondaJet aircraft are being assembled at the Honda Aircraft Company’s global headquarters in Greensboro, North Carolina, right next to the Piedmont Triad International Airport.
HondaJet HA-420 (2015): The original, with a range of 1,223 nm and space for six or seven passengers.
HondaJet Elite (2018): Added 214 nm of range through an auxiliary fuel tank and aerodynamic improvements. The horizontal stabilizer received some work, reducing the potential takeoff roll by 500 feet to just 3,491 feet.
HondaJet Elite S (2021): Enhanced avionics suite with increased operational range and payload capacity.
HondaJet Elite II (2022): The current flagship, featuring advanced cockpit automation and improved performance. Most importantly, a fully enclosed lavatory with skylights (finally).
In early 2024, Honda celebrated the delivery of its 250th HondaJet. To celebrate the occasion, Honda also went public with some official digits to showcase the success of the program. Those revealed that they’d collectively logged over 210,000 flight hours with a 99.7% dispatch reliability.
Turns out the flying members of the Honda family, much like the Civic, apparently “just work.”
