Page 10 - Demo

in the windshield with the terminating bars giving it the trademark “shark’s teeth” look.
The aircraft is also equipped with short, beefy trailing link gear to deliver a smooth landing without excessive float. The speed brakes, located on the empennage rather than the wings, are aerodynamically limited, meaning that at high speed they only deploy a small amount; at low speeds, they deploy fully. The result is that the pilot gets
the same deceleration over the entire speed range, but without the rumble and buffeting that sometimes occurs with wing-mounted brakes.
One thing that was noticeably absent from the walkaround was f luid checks. All consumables – oxygen, hydraulic, oil and fire bottle pressures – are monitored electronically, with no gauges to check. The pref light simply requires the pilot to look for leaks or damage.
Finally, we take a look at the nose and aft baggage compartments. The nose baggage holds 100 pounds and 9 cubic feet of space. The aft baggage holds 400 pounds and could easily accommodate six tour-size golf bags. The aft compartment isn’t heated, but the outflow valves exhaust under the floor, keeping liquids from freezing.
The door is a true airstair, giving it the feel of a much bigger aircraft. Inside, it is obvious how Honda leveraged the extra space gained by the OTWEM. The club seating arrangement is modern and airy with ample seated shoulder and headroom. At the rear is a surprisingly roomy lavatory with the option to have a sink and externally serviced potty.
Let’s Go Fly
Once buckled into the cockpit, it’s apparent HACI had the single- pilot operator in mind. The Garmin G3000 flight deck, with its two touch controllers and large 14-inch PFD’s and single MFD, provide an uncluttered cockpit. Every panel and pedestal items are elegantly and ergonomically designed. Other thoughtful touches included cup holders, side-panel storage cubbies and glareshield- mounted push-to-talk buttons.
Once the battery comes on, a quick sweep of the switches confirms everything is in the 12-o’clock position. From a single-pilot flow standpoint, the switch layout and access is simple and ergonomic. Once the avionics fire up, the Garmin G3000 brings up a status page where the pilot can confirm fluid levels, electrical status, door status and fuel status. As Gould said, “All green, all good.” The HondaJet has a nice feature that allows you to click through checklist items using a small wheel on the yoke.
Today for this flight demonstration, we are moderately loaded with 2,200 pounds of fuel and an outside temperature of 17 Celsius. One feature that is still missing with this G3000 installation is the performance calculations for V speeds where the FMS automatically determines takeoff and landing performance data and transfers it to the PFD. Although not a time-consuming process, this is one capability HACI should add in the future.
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8 • TWIN & TURBINE
October 2017