Story ID: 
Cutter Installs Performance Upgrade on HondaJet
By: Kerry Lynch
Caption: Honda Aircraft unveiled the upgrade option during last fall's NBAA convention.
Word Count: 214
Cutter Aviation recently completed an advanced performance modification group (APMG) upgrade on a HondaJet HA-420 at its Phoenix Sky Harbor service center. Honda Aircraft had rolled out the APMG modification option in October at NBAA 2018, offering a package that would enable operators of the original HondaJet to upgrade their aircraft performance and incorporate the latest technologies.

The APMG package includes the extension of the horizontal stabilizer, removal of vortex generators on the tail and winglets, elimination of the mid-aileron fence, as well as Garmin G3000 avionics software updates that enhance safety and situational awareness.

As a result of the package, aircraft takeoff field length is reduced 443 feet to 3,491 feet, forward baggage capacity is doubled to 200 pounds, mtow is increased to 10,700 pounds, and a range is extended by about 100 nm to 1,437 nm.

“I was impressed with the APMG HondaJet performance numbers when I was first sent example charts for takeoff, landing, and weight and balance,” said Taylor Butterfield, a HondaJet pilot at Cutter, which is an authorized service center for Honda Aircraft. “I ran a few scenarios that we fly on a frequent basis. The APMG package gives the HondaJet even more flexibility with payloads and typically allows us to utilize shorter runways for a given mission.”