Honda Jet Plane Flown At U.S. Airport

Honda, one of the world's premier motor car and truck manufacturers, recently tested it newest entry into the market - its HondaJet. 

I've got a decent enough of a story HERE, with pictures and other data. 

Regardless... on May 4, 2012 (yeah, a whole week ago! You think news would travel faster!), Honda flew its HondaJet prototype at the Piedmont Triad International Airport in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Accompanying the HondaJet on the test run, was a helicopter and a fixed-wing plane.

The Honda aircraft company, the maker of the $4.5-million jet, hopes to have the plane in production next year, but so far is stymied by the fact it requires FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) certification - and that, if all remains according to schedule, occur later this year, with delivery of the first plane to occur in 2013.

In case you were wondering, the test flight was considered a success.

So much so, that Honda Aircraft Co. is participating at the European Business Aviation Convention and Exposition, May 14-16, 2012 in Geneva, Switzerland. It's the second-largest business aviation conference in the world.

Honda Aircraft division director of marketing and corporate communications Mark Lee says: “These kind of events are a little bit of a barometer for the state of the industry.

“Customers attend them and they use these kinds of events to see at one place in one time the state of product out there. We feel very strongly that we have a very competitive aircraft in the HondaJet.”