Development
Honda began to study small sized business jets in the late 1980s, using engines from other manufacturers. The Honda MH02 was fabricated and assembled at Mississippi State University's Raspet Flight Research Laboratory in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The MH02 was a prototype using composites with an organic matrix.
The HondaJet made its maiden flight in December 2003. It debuted to the public at the EAA AirVenture air show in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, in July 2005. On July 25, 2006, Honda returned to Oshkosh to announce it would commercialize the HondaJet. Honda established the Honda Aircraft Company to seek both type and production certification of the HondaJet. Production is to take place in the United States. The company began taking customer orders in the fall of 2006. The price was about $3.65 million US. The plan is to build 70 jets per year.
In August 2006 Honda and Piper Aircraft announced a partnership to market the HondaJet.
In May 2010 major assembly of a type-conforming air-frame started. Components included the composite fuselage, metal wings, empennage, landing gear and over-the-wing-mounted engine pylons. Work was then in progress to integrate major systems, including electrical, hydraulic and environmental control. The first conforming engine was to be delivered in the third quarter of 2010 and be installed on the aircraft. Honda Aircraft planned to begin static testing of a conforming airframe in May 2010.
The maiden flight of the first plane was scheduled for November 2010. Because of delays in some components, the flight actually took place on the 21st of December 2010. FAA certification is expected to follow around August 2011. Delivery of the first plane is planned for the third quarter of 2012.
Certification and delivery were delayed for a year by susceptibility to ice damage.
Read more about this topic: Honda HA-420 Honda Jet
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