On December 3rd 2003, a prototype of the Honda HA-420 HondaJet took to the skies for the very first time. Yes, that Honda. The company famous for Civics, lawnmowers, and outboard boat motors also happens to be in the aircraft manufacturing business. Let\u2019s take a closer look at the flying Honda.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n The history of the aptly named HondaJet traces back to 1997. Aeronautical engineer (and later founding president of Honda Aircraft Company) Michimasa Fujino had one of those middle-of-the-night ideas that engineers dream (pun intended) about. Unable to find paper, he grabbed a calendar, tore off the back cover, and sketched something that would make aviation fans raise their eyebrows: jet engines mounted on top of the wings.<\/span><\/p>\n A bit of backstory here. All aviation design will naturally have its pros and cons. To some extent, it’s all about coming up with a preferred compromise. Most business jets opt for rear-mounted engines. This results in a shorter landing gear (great when you\u2019re climbing aboard) and increased ground clearance (good for runways that perhaps doesn\u2019t receive the same TLC as your big international airport).\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n But there’s also a good reason why few have even considered mounting engines on top of the wings. In theory doing so will disrupt airflow, increase drag, and reduce lift. Essentially all the bad stuff, if you\u2019re an aeronautical engineer. There\u2019s also a deterring precedent as Fokker tried it with the short lived VFW-Fokker 614 in the 1970s. The reception was less than stellar and the program quickly faded into the more obscure halls of aviation fame.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n All this considered, in true stubborn manner, Michimasa Fujino didn\u2019t cave. After more than 20 years of research, engineers at Honda finally found a sweet spot. Mounting the engines on pylons, at a very specific location on the wing, worked wonders. <\/span><\/p>\n The result saw a reduction in wave drag compared to conventional rear-mounted configurations, and a 5% better lift-to-drag ratio than similar rear-engined aircraft. Good aerodynamics typically will also show when ogling fuel numbers. At cruise, the HA-420 burns approximately 104 gallons per hour, significantly better than the Cessna Citation M2’s 120 gallons per hour or the Embraer Phenom 100’s 130 gallons per hour. Nice.<\/span><\/p>\n Speaking of engines, motor heritage aside, when it came to equip the HondaJet with what professionals refer to as \u201coomph-machines\u201d, Honda decided to team up with what today is known as GE Aerospace. Jointly the two developed the GE Honda HF120 turbofan engine, each delivering slightly north of 2,000 pounds of thrust. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Honda’s been entertaining the idea of getting into the aircraft sector for quite some time. In fact, the company started researching the concept of a compact business jet already back in 1986. The first experimental aircraft, the MH-02, flew in 1993. Finally, the HondaJet proof-of-concept made its maiden flight in 2003, but certification took a great deal longer. In December of 2015, the HondaJet received its type certificate by the FAA. Europe and EASA followed suit the year after.\u00a0<\/span>Yes, you read that right\u2014that’s three decades after the company had initially started to toy with the idea of building a business jet of their own.\u00a0<\/p>\n When you’re tracking flights on Flightradar24<\/a>, HondaJets are identifiable by their ICAO designator HDJT. Pro tip: they’re most commonly found zipping around and above North America.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\nIt all started with a sketch<\/h2>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"Honda](\"https:\/\/www.flightradar24.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/HondaJet_N420HA_exterior-min.jpg\")
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\nHonda perseveres<\/h2>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"Flight](\"https:\/\/www.flightradar24.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/HondaJet_N420HE_flightdeck-min-1024x691.jpg\")
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\nSlowly but steadily<\/h2>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.flightradar24.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/HondaJet_Screenshot.png\")
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n