Story ID: 
HondaJet Achieves flight Milestone
By: Chad Trautvetter
Caption: Honda Aircraft Company announced late last month that it completed the  first flight of an FAA-conforming HondaJet.
Word Count: 99
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.