HA-420 HondaJet review: a compact private jet perfect for family flying
The vast majority of the automobiles that I assess are the end result of at least two years’ worth of labour on the part of their respective manufacturers. A family hatchback may be finished in as little as 18 months, but if it’s a completely new model, it may take as long as half a decade from the time it’s drawn on paper to the time it’s displayed in a showroom.
However, this has never been an issue with flying machines. In point of fact, the one I’m traveling in today has been in the works for a period of time that exceeds the span of my own life.
I’ve made my way down to Biggin Hill Airport in order to take a look at the HA-420 “HondaJet.” Very light jets, also known as VLJs for short, are private aircraft that weigh less than five tonnes when fully loaded and have less than seven seats in total. This particular plane fits that description. It has one of the smallest wingspans of any jet-powered aircraft at just over 12 meters, and its total length is under 13 metres, making it one of the shortest jet-powered aircraft you can purchase. And now, I’m going to find out whether or not you’d be interested in doing that today.
The majority of business aviation takes place at these smaller airports because private aircraft are not permitted at big international hubs. In London, Luton, Northolt, and Farnborough are some of the most popular business aviation airports.
One of the most significant disadvantages of travelling by private jet is that although you have more flexibility than you do when flying on scheduled flights, you are typically required to make use of general aviation facilities such as this one.
Having said that, Biggin Hill is a very warm and welcoming contrast to the cold and impersonal world of commercial flying. I am greeted with a smile before walking directly onto the apron, where I encounter Honda’s automotive PR boss Simon Branney choreographing an elaborate mechanical ballet – a staged photo of Honda’s myriad products, ranging from a tiny robotic lawnmower to the NSX hybrid supercar to the brand new jet. I am able to observe all of this while walking directly onto the apron. There isn’t another manufacturer that comes to mind that has its hands in more businesses.
This is the first time I’ve had the chance to get a good look at the HondaJet. It has a charming tiny snout that was supposedly inspired by a Salvatore Ferragamo shoe, and it has these dainty winglets that make it look like it should be flapping its wings to take off rather than accelerating along a runway. It is quite adorable. It wasn’t until 1997 that designer Michimasa Fujino made the initial sketches of it, although the project itself goes back to the 1980s. In fact, it was one of the last significant items that firm founder Soichiro Honda approved of before he passed away in 1991.
This has various aerodynamic advantages, including lowering the stall speed, as well as expanding interior space and minimising vibrations. The two GE Honda HF120 turbofans are mounted on pylons that are attached to the wings, rather than being attached to the fuselage as is typical.
This new technology is so subtle that it is difficult to spot from most perspectives, yet when seen from the front, it gives the aeroplane a distinctive profile.
I’m not just here to gawk; we’re going to La Rochelle, which is located on the western coast of France, aboard the HondaJet. Even the 191-mile-per-hour NSX or the 177-mile-per-hour Civic Type R would take nearly a day to drive from London to that location. The sky is one place where you don’t have to worry about speed limits, however, and I can’t wait to test out the HondaJet’s ability to go at 483 miles per hour without having to keep an eye out for the police.
Because this aircraft has a usable range of more than 1,300 miles, it is theoretically capable of flying to Barcelona, Rome, Vienna, Reykjavik, and the majority of the Scandinavian countries. It would be necessary to stop for fuel while travelling further than Europe.
After entering the aeroplanes through the narrow entrance on the side, I am taken aback by how spacious the interior appears, especially in light of the aircraft’s little size when viewed from the outside. Despite the fact that I am a larger individual, I do not feel at all confined, which is more than can be said for many of the six- and eight-sweaters in which I have travelled.
There are two comfy seats in the cockpit, four seats arranged in a “club” configuration in the main cabin (two sets of two separate, adjustable chairs, facing each other abreast of a small aisle), and one jump seat in the opposite direction of the door. You could take up to four passengers in comfort, but six would be a stretch for the vehicle.
The door is shut once more. We have stashed some bags in the nose baggage compartment, which has a capacity of 255 liters and is roughly the same size as the trunk of a Kia Picanto. It has more than 1,800 litres of total storage capacity, which is about the same as an E-class estate when all of the seats are folded down. It is important to keep in mind that the pressure in these regions isn’t maintained, though.
In comparison to the runway at Biggin Hill, which is 45 meters wide and 1,800 meters long, our plane seems to be an embarrassingly tiny craft. As the engines start to screech and the small aircraft begins to stiffen up, it is held in place for a brief minute before lurching forwards onto the tarmac, which runs virtually all the way to the horizon. It seems like an instant when we reach 120 knots, which is equivalent to roughly 140 miles per hour, and the aeroplanes starts to rotate.
After only fifteen seconds, the runway, which was just a grey expanse that seemed impossible to measure, has vanished below us. We catch a few glimpses of London’s suburbs and the greenish fronds of the Kentish countryside before we are engulfed in a cloud somewhere over Edenbridge as the grey winter air of England begins to thin out and stutter into cloud. It is instant, much more so than in a passenger jet or light aircraft, and it is significantly more comfortable.
It is also very peaceful. We yell at the top of our lungs before takeoff, but other than that, the conversation is held at a regular volume. The only aeroplane I’ve ever flown in that was significantly less noisy than others was an experimental battery-electric one that could only stay in the air for a few minutes at a time.
Snacks and beverages have been delivered by Simon. It has been made abundantly clear to me that I am not permitted to use the fully enclosed toilet located at the rear of the aircraft; however, the fact that this aircraft comes equipped with a lavatory (an expensive option that can be selected from the list) makes it immediately more practical than many other planes that compete in this peculiar little market segment.
You’d be startled to learn that passengers on smaller business turboprops have been forced to make do with a potty that’s surrounded by a curtain for bathroom facilities. This aircraft has a real toilet, not a potty.
The HondaJet transforms into a time machine as it reaches a certain altitude, above the clouds, where it is always bright and sunny. We are forced to fly at a lower altitude than usual, which prevents us from taking advantage of the aircraft’s best-in-class service ceiling. As a result, we are unable to take full advantage of the plane’s speed and efficiency advantages; however, we are still speeding across France at almost six times the limit for the autoroutes.
However, the inherent benefits of speed aren’t the only thing this aircraft has going for it.
The fact that you can’t fly the aircraft yourself is the most significant disadvantage of having a private jet. If you purchase a car, boat, or light aircraft, you will typically be able to take the wheel, helm, or yoke whenever you wish, provided that you have received the appropriate training; however, the majority of bizjets require there to be two people in the cockpit at all times. Before you can go anywhere in your jet, you will need to make arrangements for a co-pilot and pay for their services, even if you already have a licence for your aircraft.
This complication may not appear to be a deal breaker on paper, but in practise, it limits the ways in which small jets can be utilised. You are not permitted to whisk your significant other away for lunch in Le Touquet as you would in a modest two-seater aircraft, nor are you able to take the whole family on a weekend getaway like you would in a turboprop aircraft.
Because of these restrictions, travelling via owner-operator private jet has traditionally been regarded as a less desirable alternative to purchasing first-class tickets on commercial airlines, utilising ad hoc bizjet charter services, or flying on smaller general aviation aircraft.
Single-pilot certification has been awarded to the HondaJet, joining other aircraft such as the Phenom 300 and the Citation CJ3. You are free to take the controls at any time, much like you would in a more conventional, smaller propeller-driven aircraft.
This level of versatility is relatively uncommon among jet aircraft in the price range of the HondaJet, and it makes the aircraft accessible to typical family users who might otherwise have purchased a turboprop aircraft such as the Pilatus PC-12, Piper M350, or Beechcraft Bonanza.
After we have reached our cruising altitude, I make my way up to the co-seat, pilot’s using the strategically placed handholds to help me. My experience in the air is limited to a few brief moments in a Grob when I was in the cadets and a Harvard at Goodwood Aerodrome, but aside from those instances, I have had very little opportunity to fly. Currently, I am pursuing a licence to fly fixed-wing microlight aircraft, and I have only a smattering of experience in other planes. When I take the reins of this £5 million jet-powered ship, which I believe is capable of rapidly getting out of shape, I do so with some measure of trepidation.
It turns out that this is not the case at all. It’s a piece of cake to pilot, and as I bob and weave through the air above France, I’m startled at how simple the controls are to use. The “black cockpit” concept has been used by Honda. This means that everything is managed by computerised systems, unless a light is illuminated, in which case the driver is required to inspect the source of the illumination.
The ergonomic sensation provided by the cockpit is more than a little bit reminiscent of that of a car; when I look up, I’m not so much gazing at an instrument panel as I am at a dashboard.
We finally break through the clouds somewhere over Nantes, and a trained pilot has taken back control of the aircraft. It took us less time to get here than it did for me to travel from Victoria to Biggin hill, a trip that consisted of taking a train, a tram, and a bus. Our trip here took less time than that. When compared to travelling by any other kind of transportation, including larger, noisier planes such as turboprops, this trip has been incredibly smooth and easy.
I just returned from a trip of a comparable length that I flew in a chartered Embraer 145. The plane was so shakey and loud that it made me feel as though I had been travelling for weeks. The convenience, peace and quiet, and a few bites of Simon’s Haribo made the two hours that we spent in the HondaJet feel like they were only a few minutes.
The airport at La Rochelle is typically bustling with travellers during the summer months, but during the winter months, there is an unusual sense of tranquilly. Huge coach parking lots are unoccupied, and the primary passenger terminal, which is a sleek and contemporary facility, is closed. We head to the general aviation terminal, which is more accurately described as a portacabin, as is typically the case with traditional airports. A portacabin with stunning interior finishings, yet it’s still just a portacabin.
When I ride in the cab, my ears pop. Two hours ago, I was in a drizzle-filled Biggin Hill; right now, I’m driving across the Île de Ré bridge on my way to a glass of wine and a specials board at a local establishment. When I’ve travelled privately in the past, whether in a corporate charter or a bizjet, it’s always been for someone else’s convenience, whether it was a business trip or a corporate trip.
Because of the HondaJet’s low purchase price, acceptable operating costs, and exceptional ease of use, high-speed private jet travel is now as uncomplicated as driving a vehicle, and ownership of a private jet is now just as appealing as it was before.
The expertise that Honda has gained in the automobile industry has been transferred successfully to the transportation industry. By doing so, they have constructed what is conceivably the world’s first family jet. The HA-420 HondaJet is, in every sense of the phrase, the Civic of the air.
The truth behind the Honda HA-420 “HondaJet” aircraft
GE Honda HF-120 turbofans and Garmin G3000 avionics power the HA-420, which also features an optional leather seating package, a side-facing jump seat, electric pleated blinds, and an external lavatory service port.
PRICE/AVAILABILITY: $5 million, with many alternatives available.
POWER/TORQUE: Each engine has a total of 1,997 pounds of thrust
The maximum speed is 420 knots (483mph)
MMO: Mach 0.72
TAKEOFF RUNWAY is 3,934 feet in length.
LANDING RUNWAY: 3,047 feet
SERVICE CEILING is at a height of 43,000 feet.
FUEL ECONOMY: 3 miles per gallon on the test, about
VERDICT: It appears that Honda’s first attempt to break into the aviation industry was a successful one. Honda has removed some of the obstacles that stand in the way of private jet ownership by adopting ergonomic principles that are already well-established in the automobile industry and making the assumption that the aircraft can be flown by a single pilot. This is a pricey piece of equipment, but due to the fact that it can be driven like a car, it is one of the few private aircraft that you might actually buy — not bad for a first attempt.
RATING: Five out of a possible five stars on the Telegram scale
Honda HA-420 ‘HondaJet’ – main rivals
Cessna, a company that is mostly recognised for the production of single-engine aircraft, produces the Citation M2, which is likely to be the most obvious competition. Although it travels at a little slower speed and has a more compact cabin than the HondaJet, the M2 requires a shorter runway for operation. Both have received approval for usage by a single pilot.
This is the Cirrus Vision SF50.
If the HondaJet is referred to as the “Civic of the skies,” then this small Cirrus can be thought of as a jet-powered Jazz. It is the cheapest and most compact very long-range jet on the market, and it is powered by a single Williams FJ33 turbofan that is installed on the roof. Additionally, it is the first privately owned jet to include a full-craft ballistic parachute as standard equipment.
Pilatus PC-12
It may seem unfair to compare a single to a very large jet, but the PC-12 is the Subaru Forester of aeroplanes because it is dependable, slow, slightly cruder around the edges than some competitors, and able to extract itself from a wet field. In other words, it is the aeroplane equivalent of the Subaru Forester. The PC-12 is capable of landing on grass runways, yes. The restroom, on the other hand, has a lot of room for improvement.
