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Over the past year, Honda Aircraft has completed various
flight, systems and structural tests including crew seat
crash tests, speedbrake testing, ultimate load tests,
EASA windshield bird strike testing, wind tunnel icing
tests, night lighting testing, etc. The
company recently completed the first in a series of
remote testing to validate the HondaJet aircraft’s
performance under extreme temperatures. Hot-weather
flight tests were conducted in Yuma, Ariz., and included
critical case tests for both aircraft systems and
infrastructure. Recent tests included:
•
Hot fuel testing – Fuel system operational tests were
successfully conducted and demonstrated the HondaJet
fuel system’s ability to supply fuel to the engine
during elevated temperatures.
•
Fuselage structure temperature validation – Static heat
soak tests measured the environmental impact (e.g., air
temperature and solar load) on the aircraft’s fuselage
and interior. The HondaJet completed a simulated taxi
and takeoff, and the aircraft’s exterior surface was
examined to determine temperature profile.
•
Powerplant cooling and electrical generator cooling –
Engine and electrical system tests were successfully
conducted at critical accessory loads and temperature
environment.
To
assist in remote location testing of the HondaJet, a
42-foot, custom telemetry vehicle entered service in
October. The mobile telemetry truck was designed to
duplicate the telemetry capabilities at Honda Aircraft’s
world headquarters in Greensboro, N.C., and is a fully
self-contained telemetry system used to monitor aircraft
data during flight testing. The truck has six work
stations for analysts to monitor real-time test data
within a 200 nautical mile range of the aircraft and
allows year-round operation at remote sites.
The company’s fifth FAA-conforming aircraft recently
completed power-on electrical testing. This aircraft is
on schedule to be released to flight test early next
year. Now in final assembly, it will be the first
HondaJet to have a full production interior. An
additional structural test aircraft, the company’s sixth
FAA-conforming aircraft, will also join the test fleet
next year. Honda Aircraft’s test program currently
includes four FAA-conforming HondaJet aircraft: three
actively flying test aircraft and one ground test
aircraft, which was exclusively used for structural
testing and recently retired from the program after
successfully completing ultimate load tests.
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