Engines
Honda turbofan flies; bizjet design to follow
On June 10 Honda flew its latest jet engine design for the first time.

On June 10 Honda flew its latest jet engine design for the first time. In the 1,900-lb-thrust range, the engine flew on a modified Cessna CitationJet from Honda’s purpose-built research facility at Atlantic Aero in Greensboro, N.C. Concurrently, Honda is busily at work on a CJ-size airframe in Greensboro, with first flight expected in January.

Perhaps an omen of things to come, the Honda engine replaced the left Williams-Rolls FJ44-1 on the testbed CitationJet. From Tokyo, Honda R&D’s senior chief engineer, Osamu Kubota, told AIN, “Thrust range is similar to that of a Williams-Rolls FJ44-1. And we are aiming at improved fuel consumption by using high-efficiency turbomachinery components, a high thrust-to-weight ratio through simple engine structure and highly reliable operation through an advanced Fadec that uses modern automobile technology.”