A multi-engine, instrument rated pilot, James Wynbrandt has been an AIN and Business Jet Traveler contributor since 2003. His in-depth reporting and insightful features have won more than a dozen editorial honors, including two National Business Aviation Association Gold Wing Awards (2019; 2021), and his articles have also appeared in the New York Times, Barron’s, Fortune, Forbes, and Smithsonian Air &amp; Space. He has flown his Mooney M20K 252 on assignments throughout North and Central America and the Caribbean. Wynbrandt is also the author of Flying High (Wiley &amp; Sons), a biography of Jet Blue founder David Neeleman, as well as histories, references works, and books on a variety of other topics from major publishers. He lives in New York City.

Contributor - Business Aviation

James Wynbrandt

Honda Aircraft president and CEO Michimasa Fujino announced recent certification milestones for the company’s HondaJet today at EBACE, while unveiling new enhancements for the light jet’s avionics and cabin management system (CMS).
The first flight of the fourth conforming HondaJet test aircraft–dubbed F3–took place on May 4, demonstrating “the steady advancement on our course toward delivering to our customers an aircraft that offers not only superior performance, efficiency and comfort, but also superior quality,” said Fujino. F3 will be used primarily for avionics and electrical system flight-testing elements for HondaJet certification, which is expected in the second half of next year.
Fujino also unveiled the jet’s “40/60” display configuration for the three 14-inch monitors on the Garmin G3000 primary flight displays (PFD), dividing each screen into two tiles occupying 40 percent and 60 percent of the screen, respectively. With this feature, pilots can select and see more information within a tile that uses 40-percent of the width of each of the PFDs.
Meanwhile, the new CMS enables passengers to control cabin lighting, temperature, audio and window shades, as well as view real-time flight information, with a wireless mobile device, such as a tablet or smartphone.
The company reports more than 100 firm orders for the $4.5 million jet.

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