HondaJet set for takeoff - Carmaker shatters tech taboos to give dream wings.

TOKYO -- After decades of painstaking preparation on the ground, the HondaJet is finally poised for commercial takeoff, with the first plane slated to be delivered this year.

     The project has drawn considerable attention, as it marks Honda Motor's first

foray into the aircraft business. The small business jet is also symbolic of the recent trend of innovation among Japanese manufacturers.

Change is in the air 

The HondaJet boasts an array of new technologies that the automaker developed by breaking taboos in the aircraft industry.

The HondaJet's engines are attached to the wings.

     In September last year, potential customers were given a chance to take the HondaJet for a test spin. Many of the people eyeing the jet are pilots themselves, and Honda is confident they will appreciate the differences between its plane and conventional business jets.

     Michimasa Fujino, president and CEO of Honda Aircraft, the U.S. subsidiary in charge of developing and manufacturing the aircraft, has likened the jet to a luxury sports car. Features that set the plane apart, Fujino said, are its spacious cabin, responsiveness, and excellent acceleration and climbing ability thanks to a lightweight body and powerful engines.

     Also imparting a sense of luxury, he said, are its minimal vibration and noise during start-up.

     Of the various original features incorporated into the jet, perhaps the one that stands out most is the engine placement.

     While most business jets have engines on the rear part of the fuselage, the two engines used for the HondaJet are mounted on the main wing. The company says the proprietary design not only results in a much more spacious cabin, it also enables a higher maximum speed and better fuel efficiency.

     Mounting an engine on the main wing was long considered a big no-no for business jets. The argument was it would create too much aerodynamic drag between the nacelle, which covers the engine, and the main wing.

     Honda began questioning that view, asking itself if perhaps such a design was not only possible but superior. That spark of curiosity essentially marked the start of the HondaJet development project.

     Mounting an engine on the main wing was not easy. The company needed to identify an appropriate position for the engine while taking into account steering stability, vibration characteristics and drag. After tinkering with a huge number of variables, Honda discovered the engine's sweet spot, the place where aerodynamic drag was held to a minimum.