Honda Aircraft Company says it
successfully completed additional milestone flight tests with its
FAA-conforming HondaJet, including the achievement of a maximum
operating altitude of 43,000 ft. The company states that this
accomplishment, which came as Honda's advanced light business jet
recorded a maximum speed of 425KTAS (489 mph) during flight testing
at the company's Greensboro, North Carolina, world headquarters
facility. This was revealed at this year's European Business
Aviation Convention & Exhibition (EBACE) in Geneva,
Switzerland.
"We are very encouraged by the
achievement of these important performance milestones at this early
phase of the HondaJet flight test program," notes Mr. Michimasa
Fujino, Honda Aircraft Company President and CEO.
"Our flight test data indicate that
the aircraft is performing as expected, and our team continues to
work hard to realize additional performance milestones as we move
forward."
The aircraft company notes further
that the 43,000 ft. mark - reached on April 27, 2011 - confirms the
company's maximum-operating-altitude performance commitment to
customers for the FAA-conforming HondaJet.
It adds that the aircraft has
achieved a climb rate of 3,990 ft. /min., confirming another
important performance parameter for the delivery aircraft. Honda
reveals that the first FAA-conforming HondaJet (F1), which achieved
first flight on December 20, 2010, will soon be joined by
additional conforming aircraft to supplement the company's
certification efforts.