HondaJet Achieves Type Inspection Authorization

Honda Aircraft has received the Type Inspection Authorization (TIA) certificate for its HondaJet from the FAA, the company said Friday Dec. 20. 

 

TIA approval means the new aircraft is ready for FAA pilots to begin performing onboard flight tests required for certification.  During the final testing phase, nose-to-tail FAA review will clear the jet for type certification in the U.S. allowing the company to begin making the first deliveries to customers. 

 

The agency also recently approved the HF120 turbofan, the engine that powers the HondaJet.

 

Michimasa Fujino, president and CEO of Honda Aircraft, called the TIA approval a "tremendous milestone" for his company. 

 

“We have been working closely with the FAA to finalize our certification schedule for the HondaJet,” said Fujino. “Based on the recent FAA type certification of the HF120 turbofan engine and this TIA milestone achievement, we can expect aircraft type certification in the first quarter of 2015 with deliveries following immediately after.”

Source;
http://www.aviationtoday.com/the-checklist/HondaJet-Achieves-Type-Inspection-Authorization_80935.html#.Urmnb_sUaEo

Honda nearing final flight tests for jets, announces financing availability

A $4.5 million HondaJet sits inside of a hangar housed within Honda Aircraft Co.'s new customer service facility, which will provide 24/7 technical support, manage warranty administration and complement the company's dealer network. Honda said American Honda Finance Corporation intends to offer financing for HondaJet customers.

by Katie Arcieri of www.bizjournals.com

Greensboro-based Honda Aircraft Co. said Monday that it has achieved several milestones in the testing and development of its $4.5 million lightweight business jet and also announced the availability of term-loan financing for the HondaJet in the United States.

Honda, a wholly-owned subsidiary of American Honda Motor Co. (NYSE: HMC, made the announcements at the 2013 National Business Aviation Association’s Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition in Las Vegas.

Testing
Honda officials said the HondaJet flight test program is nearing its final phase. When completed, it will mark a significant milestone toward obtaining Federal Aviation Administration targeted at the end of 2014. Honda plans to begin delivering the jet to customers thereafter.

Honda also said that the HondaJet program is currently undergoing FAA full-scale fatigue testing at the company's research-and-development facility at the Piedmont Triad International Airport, where the company last week celebrated the opening of its $20 million customer service center. The testing will prove the "HondaJet airframe’s fatigue strength well before the HondaJet enters service."

Production continues
Honda officials said production continues with six production HondaJets on the assembly line. The Honda Aircraft manufacturing team has "mated the first production aircraft’s wing and empennage with build activities for this HondaJet nearing completion."

“The Honda Aircraft production team is diligently preparing to ramp-up production by continuing to implement lean manufacturing techniques and investing in workforce training,” said Michimasa Fujino, president and CEO of Honda Aircraft Co “We anticipate our production work force will double as we prepare for HondaJet entry into service.”

The company has more than 850 employees working on the jet program and expects to ramp up to 1,200 in the coming years.

Financing help
Honda also said Monday that Honda Aircraft Co. and the American Honda Finance Corp. intend to offer term-loan financing for HondaJet customers in the United States. AHFC, a subsidiary of American Honda Motor Co., Inc., will provide financing and account servicing for HondaJet customers in the U.S. and collaborate with Honda Aircraft Co. to develop the systems and infrastructure to support HondaJet customers.

“We are once again challenging the industry by bringing new value to the ownership experience," Fujino said.

“Offering aircraft financing for HondaJet customers in the U.S. is a logical extension of Honda’s philosophy to provide innovative products that are backed by unsurpassed service and support.”

Source;
http://www.bizjournals.com/triad/blog/2013/10/honda-aircraft-co-says-hondajet.html?page=all

Why an upcoming conference is important to Honda Aircraft's CEO

Michimasa Fujino, CEO of Greensboro-based Honda Aircraft Co., will travel to Geneva, Switzerland this week for the European Business Aviation Convention and Exposition.

by Kate Arcieri of www.bizjournals.com

Last week, Greensboro-based Honda Aircraft Co. announced a target date for obtaining Federal Aviation Administration certification for its $4.5 million lightweight, fuel-efficient business jet.

This week, Michimasa Fujino, the company's CEO, and a team of more than 40 will travel to Geneva, Switzerland, for the European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition from May 21 to May 23.

It’s show time for Honda, a wholly owned subsidiary of American Honda Motor Co. (NYSE: HMC) that will showcase its jet to customers from around the world, make announcements on the product's development and provide a status update on the company's $20 million, 90,000-square-foot maintenance, repair and overhaul facility under construction at the Piedmont Triad International Airport. The facility will house the company’s customer service center.

Fujino spoke with The Business Journal on Monday about his expectations for the three-day event.

There are lots of aviation conventions. In your opinion, why is the EBACE convention particularly important for Honda? The European market is the second largest business aviation market in the world. That’s why almost all major manufacturers participate in EBACE. In addition, HondaJet's size—the lightjet market — is a strong prospect in Europe. It’s a very promising market so that is why we put a great emphasis on the European market. It is very important for us to introduce HondaJet in advance and make a presence for future prospects in Europe.

How is the European market different from the United States market? The European customer is conservative and also is more conscious about the environment, the efficiency. So maybe HondaJet is exactly matching their requirement. HondaJet is a very fuel efficient and compact and the best fit in the market.

Can you talk about what countries these prospective buyers will be coming from? All over Europe, from U.K., from Germany, France, Spain. We will have many prospects from Russia, East Europe and the Middle East. India as well.

Do you expect orders to be placed at this convention? There are many customers who are planning to purchase in a few years so it is a very good starting point to build a relationship with customers and also introduce HondaJet advantage. Sometimes (the) decision takes one year or two years and sometimes the decision is on the spot. It all depends upon the customer.

What are your expectations for the buyer mood at the conference this year? When we go to EBACE and make presentation, many customers are excited. Many customers tend to be more positive. (Now that the economy is further recovering), I expect this year’s mood is even more positive than last year.

Can you talk about the activities that customers will be able to do at the HondaJet area of the conference? We send a service team there along with the engineering team to introduce the HondaJet performance technology and let future customers experience the HondaJet interior mockup. So a HondaJet customer actually experiences the production-type interior on the spot. Also we explain ownership cost. They can get all the information needed for their decision.

I know Honda has more than 100 orders for the jet already. Do you have an expectation for how many more orders could potentially be placed at this convention? We don’t exactly describe the number, but we hope to get orders.

Honda has made major announcements at the convention before. Do you expect similar types of announcements to be made at this conference? We will update the current progress of the development and also we introduce our investment in Greensboro, North Carolina, and the MRO status.

Can you give us a hint on the MRO status now? At this moment, we are on schedule.

If FAA certification is obtained by the end of 2014, it’s entirely plausible that delivery could begin in 2015. Is that accurate? Certification is required for airplane delivery so certification is a first step. Our target is immediately after aircraft is certified, we start to deliver the HondaJet.

Source;
http://www.bizjournals.com/triad/blog/2013/05/qa-with-michimasa-fujino-ceo-honda.html?page=all