Page 12 - Demo

PHOTO CREDIT: HONDA AIRCRAFT COMPANY
The HondaJet cabin is modern, comfortable and spacious. An externally serviceable lavatory with a running sink is located behind a sturdy privacy partition at the rear.
Next came the fun part of the demo: an emergency descent. Gould instructed me to pull back the throttles, deploy the speed brakes and point the nose downhill. The deployment is indiscernible, with no buffeting or obvious increase in noise, and as Gould promised, we were quickly doing 10,000 fpm.
As we leveled off and reoriented ourselves for the flight back to ATW, Gould pointed out another handy single-pilot feature. Placing the aircraft back on autopilot, he showed me how to dial a speed and watch the engines’ FADEC choose a power setting to maintain that airspeed. You can see how this could be especially helpful when negotiating complicated arrivals and step-downs in busy airspace.
As we flew back into the beehive at KATW, the G3000 made easy work of loading the ILS to Runway 30. The system has a number of intuitive shortcuts that lessen the number of keystrokes and button pushes. The impressively large windscreens provide excellent visibility and were especially useful as we searched for traffic and maneuvered onto the final approach course. Before I knew it, the HondaJet was crossing the fence at 108 kts., and settling softly onto the pavement, requiring only about a 3-degree nose-up attitude.
Make Friends With the HondaJet
As the newest kid on the block, the HondaJet is eager to make friends with those interested in moving up to an entry- level jet. For the owner-pilot segment, the HondaJet offers a number of compelling single-pilot features that contribute to lower workload, simplicity of operation and of course, safety. In the back, passengers will not be disappointed, with a spacious, comfortable cabin and a private aft lavatory as a bonus.
10 • TWIN & TURBINE
HACI has been patient in its development of the HondaJet, as they care about getting it right. In my opinion, they succeeded. Keeping true Fujino’s original intent, the aircraft achieves a good balance of efficiency, performance and payload/range. In fact, the final performance numbers didn’t creep significantly from the initial concept introduction more than a decade ago.
With one of the biggest companies in the world to back it up, the HondaJet isn’t going anywhere. Honda has made a sizable investment in its Greensboro, North Carolina production facility and has built out a strong network of dealers and service infrastructure inside and outside the company. And while there are more established light jet brands in the marketplace, the HondaJet has an opportunity to grow its foothold in the light jet arena, specifically with the owner- flown segment. This summer, the company announced they delivered two dozen aircraft the first half of 2017, more than any other jet in its category.
Anyone considering a step-up to a turbofan should fly the sleek, striking light jet that turns heads everywhere it goes. While its ramp presence may be unconventional by legacy jet standards, what truly makes the jet remarkable is what it can achieve where it matters most: in the air. T&T
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October 2017