A year after announcing it would enter the Very Light Jet (VLJ) market with its HondaJet, Honda Motor Co. said it will begin taking orders for the six- to seven-seat aircraft this fall and will establish a new U.S. company to hold FAA-type certification and production certificate. Honda's goal is to complete type certification in about three to four years. The company is also forming an alliance with Piper Aircraft to collaborate on sales and service and explore opportunities in engineering and other areas within both general and business aviation.

Speaking at last week's Experimental Aircraft Association Oshkosh meet, Honda Senior Managing Director Satoshi Toshida said that aviation manufacturing has been a goal of the company for more than four decades. He promised the HondaJet would provide several innovations to achieve better fuel efficiency, large cabin and luggage space and higher cruise speed than conventional aircraft in its class. The innovations include patented over-the-wing, engine-mount configuration, a natural-laminar flow (NLF) wing and fuselage nose, and an advanced all-composite fuselage structure.

To date, the prototype has completed 240+ hours of flight testing since December 2003, during which it achieved an altitude of 42,000 feet and a speed of 412 knots. The company said it is on course to meet or exceed all design specifications.