Honda Aircraft is moving ahead with plans to “commercialize” the HondaJet 2600 concept light jet that it unveiled at NBAA-BACE 2021, with certification planned in 2028. Powered by two 3,550-pound-thrust Williams International FJ44-4C turbofans and with a Garmin G3000 avionics suite, the 2600 will also share the original HA-420 HondaJet’s over-the-wing-engine-mount design. Other features include autothrottles, autobrakes, Honda’s Advanced Steering Augmentation System, and runway overrun awareness and alerting system.
The last design before former Honda Aircraft president and CEO Michimasa Fujino retired in March 2022, the 2600 promises midsize jet comfort, speed, and range in a light jet airframe. Capable of carrying 11 occupants (two pilots and nine passengers or one pilot and 10 passengers), the 2600 will have a 450-knot maximum cruise speed, 47,000-foot ceiling, 2,625-nm NBAA IFR range (four passengers, one pilot), and mtow of 17,500 pounds.
Honda Aircraft inked strategic supplier agreements with Aernnova for aerostructures and components, and Spirit AeroSystems for fuselage manufacturing. Today and tomorrow, Honda Aircraft is hosting suppliers at its Greensboro, North Carolina headquarters to discuss the program.
“Commercialization of our new light jet represents Honda’s next chapter of skyward mobility, which further expands the potential of people’s lives,” said Honda Aircraft president and CEO Hideto Yamasaki. “By building on the expertise behind our technological innovations, we will accelerate the development of the program with sustainability a key element throughout.”
Aviation data and market intelligence provider JetNet acquired Hamburg, Germany-based business aviation data firm WingX Advance, the companies announced today. The combination of JetNet’s and WingX’s expertise and data will yield expanded customer access to “comprehensive coverage” of the worldwide business aviation market.
“WingX offers innovative solutions for aggregating and visualizing flight activity and operational performance insights,” said JetNet CEO Derek Swaim. “WingX’s configurable product offerings, industry expertise, and strong international presence make WingX an ideal addition to JetNet.”
According to JetNet, customers will have the opportunity to access data from both companies through dashboards tailored to their own needs. Interactive portals to global fleet inventories and flight analysis, operating metrics, and supply-chain performance insights will also provide users the ability to identify key trends.
“JetNet is renowned for its superior research and aviation fleet database, and we look forward to creating more insights and actionable intelligence for our customers,” concluded WingX co-founder Christoph Kohler.
Italian officials seeking buyers for Piaggio Aerospace and Piaggio Aviation have extended the deadline to receive expressions of interest by one week to June 19. In a statement issued today, the “extraordinary commissioners” handling the receivership process said they have allowed more time for several interested parties to submit the required documents.
According to the statement, Piaggio Aerospace holds an order backlog worth €556 million ($609 million) covering 17 units of its P.180 Avanti Evo twin-pusher business turboprop. It said that the Genoa-based company is expected to break even on its balance sheet by year-end.
In May, the commissioners announced that the sale process can run for an additional 12 months to be concluded by May 13, 2024. Once the June 19 deadline passes, eligible applicants, which could include approved foreign interests, will be given 30 days to conduct due diligence on the company data before having to make binding offers.
In addition to civil versions of the Avanti Evo, the company produces a multirole patrol aircraft and uncrewed air systems for defense customers. It is also involved in aircraft engine manufacturing under licenses from a number of international OEMs.
The government-backed sale process has had several false starts since it was started in November 2019, having most recently failed to close a deal in 2022.
Focus on Runway Excursions Spurs New Training
No pilot, no matter how experienced, is immune to having a runway excursion. But a solid understanding of the risks and mitigation strategies can prepare pilots to handle challenging takeoff, approach, and landing situations. It may be the most important aspect of recurrent training.
All-volunteer charity Turtles Fly Too, which arranges transportation for endangered turtles that need rehabilitation, is looking for a company or aircraft owner willing to fly Tally, a Kemp's Ridley sea turtle, from Wales, UK, to Texas. Tally ended up in the cold waters off Wales and in a deep coma with a core temperature of 43 degrees F, down from the normal 70 degrees.
After Tally had been rescued and moved to Anglesey Sea Zoo in North Wales, aquarium staff put the turtle into an incubator. Following a long recovery, Tally is healthy and ready for transport.
Turtles Fly Too is looking for an aircraft owner who can bring Tally to the U.S., where it will be released off the Texas coast. The container with Tally inside weighs less than 40 pounds and measures 20 by 14 by 12 inches. No attendant needs to fly with Tally and its shell will be coated with petroleum jelly to keep it hydrated during the trip.
To accommodate the pickup, the Royal Air Force will allow the transport aircraft to land and take on fuel at RAF Valley (EGOV) in Wales. A convenient port of entry for the flight would be Conroe Airport (KCXO) near Houston, where Customs and Border Protection officers are available. For more information, contact Turtles Fly Too president Leslie Weinstein at (208) 484-7774 or leslie@turtlesflytoo.org.
The House Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) Committee began consideration this morning on the nearly 800-page aviation package released last week. The Securing Growth and Robust Leadership in American Aviation Act would reauthorize the FAA for five years, include the first-ever title on general aviation in such a bill, increase infrastructure support, foster workforce initiatives, and pave the way for advanced air mobility.
The committee winnowed more than 2,000 proposals, requests, and suggestions into the comprehensive FAA reauthorization bill, H.R.3935, and today began to sort through some 170 amendments filed. T&I Chairman Sam Graves (R-Missouri) said he expected consideration to at least extend through the duration of today and possibly into tomorrow.
The Senate Commerce Committee, meanwhile, on Thursday plans to consider its own version of a comprehensive five-year FAA bill, the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2023, that was introduced yesterday and similarly is a bipartisan effort touching upon many of the same themes, from safety to workforce and airports infrastructure.
Graves, along with his Democrat counterpart on the committee, Rep. Rick Larsen (D-Washington), stressed the collaborative nature that went into crafting the bill, and the committee headed into today’s markup of the bill with statements of endorsement from a broad swath of the aviation industry.
During the early part of the consideration, the committee accepted a manager’s amendment that included technical corrections, increased support for the NTSB, strengthened cockpit voice recorder language, and a call for the FAA to evaluate the effectiveness of its telework posture.
Sweden’s Trollhättan-Vänersborg Airport in the southwestern part of the country will be the first in the world to offer only blended sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) for all aircraft fueling, inclusding business jets and turboprops. By the end of this month, Neste will commence continual supplies of its SAF to the airport at a 30 to 40 percent blend ratio. Swedish airline Västflyg, which is based at the airport, will be the first commercial carrier to power all of its flights on SAF, including its routes to Bromma, Visby, and charter operations.
The use of SAF is widely recognized as one of the crucial tools needed to help the aviation industry reach its emission reduction goals. In its unblended form, it can provide up to 80 percent life cycle carbon emissions savings. Västflyg CEO Anna Petre noted, "By using a high blend of SAF, we will immediately reduce our [greenhouse gas] emissions for all flights."
“Vänersborg Airport and Västflyg have taken a big and important step to use blended SAF to refuel aircraft for all departures,” said Alexander Kueper, Neste’s v-p of EMEA for its renewable aviation business unit. “It shows their commitment to reducing the greenhouse gas emissions of air travel and sets an example for other airports and airlines across the world to follow.”
Electra Aero has built a technology demonstrator vehicle that it will use to complete the development of its hybrid-electric short takeoff and landing (eSTOL) aircraft. During an event yesterday at its headquarters in Manassas, Virginia, the company revealed the two-seat model, which it claims is the world’s first blown-lift aircraft powered by distributed electric propulsion.
Flight testing is expected to start in the third quarter to track performance that will help Electra’s engineers complete the design of the nine-passenger production aircraft that could also be used to carry 2,500 pounds of freight. The company is aiming to produce an aircraft with exceptional short takeoff and landing performance that will be able to operate from landing surfaces of little more than 300 feet and fly routes of around 400 nm at a cruise speed of 175 knots. If operated from longer runways up to 1,000 feet, payload and range could be increased.
The eSTOL aircraft’s propulsion system consists of eight electric motors and a turbogenerator that can recharge batteries in flight and run on sustainable aviation fuel. Electra says that this capability has the added benefit of avoiding the need for ground recharging infrastructure, giving far greater scope for the eSTOL aircraft to operate from multiple locations, including city-center landing sites and more than 5,000 underutilized public airports in the U.S.
Andy Wilson, 52, died on June 1. Wilson was well known in the King Air community and had previously held roles with Ice Shield and Stevens Aerospace. He most recently served as a sales director with Jet East. He leaves behind a wife, Stacie, and daughter Emma Grace, as well as his mother.
Elliott Aviation and subsidiaries Elliott Jets and Prizm Aircraft Products appointed Dan Edwards as president and CEO. Edwards’ aviation career spans more than 25 years and includes executive leadership roles at MAG Aerospace, Aviation Technical Services, and Zodiac Aerospace. He most recently served as CEO of Triman Industries.
Jet East hired Kara Finn as senior director of retail operations. Finn has 30 years of experience in aviation maintenance having earned her A&P immediately after high school. She held previous positions with companies including SkyWest Airlines, Bombardier, Nextant Aerospace, and Jet It. In her new role, Finn will be responsible for the quoting, planning, and scheduling departments for all retail maintenance operations.
Friends of Naples Municipal Airport announced a new slate of board officers: Stephen Myers, CAM, FAA-certified pilot, and executive v-p of Elite Jets, is now president of the Florida airport advocacy group; Bill Earls, a luxury real estate broker with John R. Wood Properties, is v-p; Christel Johnson, real estate broker and owner of Paradise Coast Property Team, is treasurer; and Bruce Byerly, a third-generation aviator and owner of Byerly Aviation in Peoria, Illinois, is secretary.
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