Photos: HA-420 HondaJet

The HA-420 HondaJet received FAA type certification in December and promptly entered the light jet market to much excitement and anticipation.

Flying senior editor Pia Bergqvist recently got the chance to fly and review the much-hyped airplane for the June issue.

Check out pictures of the HA-420's unique design, luxurious cabin and innovative features.

The luxurious cabin provides exceptional legroom, dimmable windows, an optional cabin management system and more. Honda Aircraft
The HondaJet has a dedicated lavatory with a solid door for privacy, two skylights for natural light and many contemporary accents. An optional external service port is available for the lav. Honda Aircraft
Honda Aircraft’s president and CEO, Michimasa Fujino, chose the over-the-wing mount system for the GE Honda HF120 engines that power the HondaJet. Honda Aircraft
With its sharply pointed nose, aggressive winglets and engines mounted on top of the wings, the HondaJet is easy to identify. Initially all will have a uniform paint scheme with five color choices. Honda Aircraft
The HondaJet's cockpit is built around the Garmin G3000 avionics system, with three 14.1-inch displays. The seats are comfortable, with plenty of headroom above. Honda Aircraft
Not only is the HA-420 itself a clean-sheet design, its engines are new as well. The HF120 engine, which produces up to 2,095 pounds of thrust off the mounts, is made by GE Honda Aero Engines, a joint venture between two companies that know a thing or two about building engines. Honda Aircraft
Located on the tail cone, the speedbrake is composed of two panels that open through a small switch left of the thrust levers and close with application of power. Honda Aircraft
The shark-teethlike window accents are not for show. They are part of the electric windshield heat. Honda Aircraft
Open latches are easy to spot with the bright-orange color inside. Should the pilot still miss a latch in the preflight, the G3000 avionics system would indicate the mistake. Honda Aircraft
The $4.85 million HondaJet has a max cruise speed of 420 ktas and a max range of 1,206 nm. Honda Aircraft
Training for the HA-420 is conducted at a FlightSafety facility adjacent to the Honda Aircraft factory. The program runs approximately 16 days, including a final check ride. Honda Aircraft
The first drawings of what eventually became the HondaJet were sketched in the early 1990s. When the HA-420 received FAA type certification on December 9, 2015, the company’s president and CEO, Michimasa Fujino, described the document as “the crystal of sweat and tears.” Honda Aircraft
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