HondaJet Prototype Debuts in Japan Aviation Museum

On April 20, the Misawa Aviation & Science Museum in Aomori Prefecture in Japan reopens with a unique new display—the original proof-of-concept (POC) prototype HondaJet. Aomori is Honda Aircraft president and CEO Michimasa Fujino’s hometown.

While undergoing remodeling two years ago, the museum reached out to Honda Aircraft to ask for help with a plan to design a hangar dedicated to the HondaJet. The possibility of educating visitors about Honda Aircraft and the HondaJet was a “great opportunity,” the company said.

The POC first flew on Dec. 3, 2003, powered by Honda-designed and -built HF118 engines mounted over the wings instead of on the aft fuselage. This over-the-wing-engine-mount design took advantage of aerodynamic optimization that delays drag rise at high speeds, and POC flight testing proved that the concept worked.

Built in a hangar at Greensboro Airport in North Carolina, the highly secret HondaJet made its public debut in 2005 at EAA AirVenture and, early the following year, Honda Aircraft announced that the HondaJet would become a commercial program. Now more than 170 HondaJets are flying.

The POC was retired in 2013 but at its new home at the Misawa Aviation & Science Museum, the POC is surrounded by displays of historical documents and components. Components include a wing skin, avionics, composite fuselage, and the pilot suit and parachute worn during the flight testing.

AINsight: Airplanes Defy Gravity

Aircraft fly through the air with the greatest of ease. That is the first way that airplanes defy gravity, and no one can argue with that. The other more arguable ways are in the valuation of airplanes.

There is of course the demand/supply calculation. In most commodities, prices can go up when demand outpaces supply. But not so with business airplanes. Often what occurs in periods of lower inventory levels and picked-over supply is that the residual loss rate will narrow, but the idea of prices going up does not happen.

Today, preowned business aircraft sales remain steady, but we are suffering a bit from picked over inventory from the fourth quarter. There are sellers who believe this reduced inventory level should be driving up prices, resulting in unusually high asking prices being set. However, these attempts to sway the market are still falling short of the seller’s expectations, resulting in longer days on market and discounts below the expected market price.

If you are a buyer today, be patient. You will be successful at finding that choice aircraft. Overall, I believe 2021 will be a very balanced market year for preowned sales. This should be a good year for operations, transaction levels, and pricing.

EBAA Ambassador Program To Elevate Bizav

EBAA has launched a peer-networking program—dubbed EBAA Ambassadors—that brings industry leaders together in closed workshops and forums to address the biggest challenges and opportunities facing the business aviation industry. According to EBAA, these leaders will come together several times each year to reflect on the industry’s most pressing issues.

“As leaders of the industry, they are raising the standard in the ever-changing and evolving world they operate in,” EBAA said. “Ambassadors will be briefed on political and public policy developments that impact the sector, and are committed to giving back in the areas of sustainability, diversity, innovation, and responsible business practices.”

“The companies share a common commitment to create a more sustainable, diverse, innovative, and responsible business aviation industry,” added EBAA COO Robert Baltus. “They are aware of the challenges we face on a daily basis and are committed to accelerating positive changes to overcome them.”

Complementing this initiative, EBAA has also created a virtual platform to share stories about EBAA Ambassadors, celebrate their achievements, and allow space for discourse on making a change for the better. So far, 15 companies have signed up to the program: Air BP, Bombardier, CAT Aviation, Dassault Aviation, DC Aviation, Duncan Aviation, FlyingGroup, Jetcraft, Jet Maintenance Solutions, JSSI, MedAire, NetJets Europe, Primus Aero, UAS International Trip Support, and VistaJet.

Flexjet Adds Van Nuys to Private Terminal Network

Flexjet expanded its private terminal network with a facility in the Clay Lacy executive complex at Van Nuys Airport in California. The facility is one of four private terminals that Flexjet now has for its customer base, also including at White Plains, New York; Naples, Florida; and West Palm Beach, Florida. In addition, Flexjet is planning to open two more this year—at Dallas Love Field around the third quarter and at Teterboro Airport in New Jersey later in the year.

The Van Nuys facility includes a 3,000-sq-ft lounge available exclusively to Flexjet clients, the second largest in its terminal network behind the 4,000-sq-ft facility in White Plains. Paying homage to the local history, the Van Nuys facility displays oversized black and white photographs that Flexjet said invoke the romance of old Hollywood, Rock ‘n’ Roll, business, and the arts, and also pays tribute to the 50-year history of aviation legend Clay Lacy. The location further includes a private gated entrance and parking lot, private ramp-side access, conference room with Wi-Fi access, a café and espresso bar, and pilot lounge.

Terminal locations were selected based on where Flexjet has found the greatest demand, the fractional ownership provider said, adding that Van Nuys has been one of its busiest locations. Flexjet opened its first terminal—in Naples—in February 2016.

Tamarack Begins Winglet Installs at New Aiken Center

Tamarack Aerospace has performed the first three active winglet installations—one on a CitationJet and two on Citation CJ2s—at its new facility in Aiken, South Carolina, the company announced yesterday. Another CitationJet active winglet installation at the center is pending, it added.

Ted Goodspeed, the pilot of the newly modified CitationJet (N331GG), said the light twinjet can now routinely climb to FL410 in 30 minutes at max gross weight thanks to the modification. “The lower drag gives us more excess power,” he noted.

Like Tamarack’s other installation centers in Sandpoint, Idaho, and Oxford, UK, the Aiken facility is able to retrofit CitationJets, CJ1/CJ1+/M2, and CJ2/CJ2+ models with the company’s active winglets in seven to 10 days. The East Coast center provides accessible factory installation of these winglets for operators in the eastern U.S. and South America, according to the company. Tamarack also offers active winglet service at more than 20 authorized service centers across the U.S., South America, and Europe.

Over the last five years, Tamarack has modified more than 100 of the CitationJet family of light jets with its active winglets, which the company claims can reduce fuel usage by up to 33 percent.

Clemens Plans More Expansion at East Wichita Airport

Clemens Aviation celebrated the opening of two 18,000-sq-ft hangars at Col. James Jabara Airport (AAO) in east Wichita yesterday as the Part 91 and 135 operator begins construction on three additional hangars—also 18,000 sq ft each—and a fuel farm at the city-owned executive airport.

Company owner Dwayne Clemens told AIN construction of the additional new hangars, one of which will serve specifically for maintenance, and a fuel farm is expected to be completed in August. Operations at AAO are in addition to Clemens Aviation facilities at Lloyd Stearman Field Airport, about 21 miles northeast of Wichita.

The company's expansion to the Wichita airport was driven by the need for a longer runway with instrument approaches, as well as convenience for its charter and managed aircraft clients, most of whom live within four miles of AAO, Dwayne Clemens said.

Founded by Clemens in 2003, the company offers FBO, charter, maintenance, aircraft sales, and management services. Aircraft under management total 22, including a Bombardier Challenger 601, several Beechcraft King Airs, a Dassault Falcon 900B, and 15 Beechjet 400As, the latter of which have all been refreshed with Garmin G5000 avionics, winglets, refurbished cabin, and new paint. Its operations are supported by 30 pilots and 15 maintenance technicians.

Jet It Partners with Charity HeartGift

Jet It, which offers fractional shares in HondaJets, has partnered with HeartGift to help provide heart surgeries to children worldwide. Founded in 2018, Jet It has already raised more than $750,000 for various children’s charities.

“I am personally drawn to HeartGift as I myself was born with a congenital heart defect,” said Jet It founder and CEO Glenn Gonzales. “Fortunately, my defect self-corrected, but the children that HeartGift serves are not so lucky.”

Through this partnership, Jet It will provide funds and awareness to help support HeartGift’s mission of providing access to care for children born in developing countries with congenital heart defects and very little access to care. To date, HeartGift has provided heart surgery to 500 children from 35 countries with medical partners Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital, Dell Children’s Medical Center, and other children's hospitals in San Antonio, Texas, New Orleans, and abroad.

By bringing children to the U.S. for medical care or bringing care to the children closer to their homes, hearts are mended with just one surgery and the children have the opportunity to live a full life without limitations, Gonzales said. HeartGift bears all costs for the surgeries.

Leonardo’s Lynx Celebrates 50th Anniversary

Leonardo’s Lynx helicopter turned 50 this month. The aircraft made its first flight on March 21, 1971, from the Westland plant in Yeovil, UK, and featured technologies new at the time including blades from the British Experimental Rotor Program (BERP). A modified Lynx broke the world rotorcraft speed record on Aug. 11, 1986, clocking a forward speed of 216 knots.

More than 500 Lynx series helicopters were subsequently produced and it remains in service in nine countries performing a variety of missions, including anti-surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare, battlefield, search and rescue, coastal protection, and light utility.

The current version of the aircraft, the AW159, is used in shipboard deployment by the British Royal Navy and has been updated with a fully integrated avionics and mission suite coupled with a tactical processor and military-derived human-machine interface. It is still flown for a variety of multi-role surface and sub-surface operations. For the UK Army, the Lynx flies reconnaissance and strike coordination roles. Other militaries currently using the Lynx include Brazil, Malaysia, Portugal, and South Africa.

Photo of the Week

X marks the spot. Jake Mahoney shows the tracks from ski flying in the Adirondacks, taking this photo from a Piper J3 Cub. Thanks for sharing Jake!

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