HondaJet Achieves flight Milestone

Honda Aircraft Company announced late last month that it completed the first flight of an FAA-conforming HondaJet. The light jet took off for a ­51-minute flight on December 20, from the company’s ­headquarters facility at Piedmont Triad International Airport in Greensboro, N.C. “We are encouraged by our initial review of the flight data, which indicates the ­conforming ­HondaJet performed as expected,” said company president and CEO Michimasa Fujino. A second conforming aircraft is engaged in structural testing, while a third copy to be used for mechanical systems flight testing is expected to join the program early this year.