Honda Aircraft pushes HondaJet to late 2014
Flight Global reports that problems with the new jet engine on the HondaJet is forcing Honda Aircraft to delay certification about a year
Flight Global reported on May 7 that Honda Aircraft (Greensboro, N.C., USA) says certification of the composites-intensive HA420 HondaJet is delayed by about a year to late 2014 as development of the light jet's new engine continues to fall behind schedule.
The five-passenger HA420 was supposed to be delivered to customers by late 2013, or several months after the Honda/General Electric HF120 completed its own certification process this month.
According to the report, Honda Aircraft now says the 2,000-lb thrust (1,400kW) HF120 will not achieve certification until the end of this year. Honda Aircraft declined to offer specifics.
The report says the HF120's turbofan failed a critical ice slab test in a certification trial in February 2011, which delayed the project by one year already. Honda Aircraft has built four flying prototypes, of which three are involved in early flight tests.
Click Flight Global for orignal report.
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