The HondaJet Prototype First Flight Was 20 Years Ago, and We Look Back

More than 20 years ago, Honda Motor Company embarked on a bold experiment, a clean-sheet-design new business jet that offered more cabin space and better performance than existing very light and even some light jets. What made this project even more unique is that Honda designed and built its own turbofan engine for the HondaJet prototype.

After years of intense work by Honda team members in Greensboro, North Carolina, and in Japan, the proof-of-concept HondaJet prototype took to the skies on December 3, 2003. This led to commercialization of the program and the birth of a new business jet manufacturer.