The HondaJet History

HondaJet was borne of the power of dreams, power that drove innovations in aircraft design from thought to drawing board to flight in just seven years. True innovation in aviation takes a deeper passion, a greater vision, and an enduring determination to set a higher standard in flight.

HondaJet began as an intellectual contemplation and developed into a series of questions: How could a light jet become more efficient, more elegant, more advanced?

Experimentation, exploration, and research ensued – and the HondaJet vision was realized through design innovations that create an integrated, advanced whole.

The realization of a dream is equal parts romance and pragmatism. For every hour spent sketching an elegant wing, equal time is logged building it.

And so HondaJet is remarkable not only in its ideation, but in its execution.

1997: A thought became a sketch.

1998: A sketch became a wind tunnel model.

1999: A wind tunnel model became a prototype.

2000: HondaJet’s progress was such that a new research facility was established exclusively for its development.

2003: HondaJet undertook its inaugural flight.

2005: it debuted before a global audience at EAA AirVenture.

2006: the jet became available for purchase.

2007: Honda Aircraft Company broke ground on its world headquarters, research and development facility, and aircraft plant in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Today HondaJet is aloft, an airborne testament to the power of dreams.

HONDAJET PERFORMANCE

Maximum Cruise Speed @ FL300 >> 420KTAS

Service Ceiling >> FL 430

Rate of Climb  >>  3990 ft/min

IFR Range  >>  1180 nm

Take-off Distance  >>  3120 ft

Landing Distance  >>  2500 ft

HONDAJET ENGINES

Manufacturer / Model  >>  GE HONDA / HF120

Output  >>  1880 lb/each

Bypass Ratio  >>  2.9

HONDAJET - E x t e r n a l D i m e n s i o n s

Height  >>  13.21 ft [4.03 m]

Length  >>  41.70 ft [12.71 m]

Span  >>  39.87 ft [12.15 m]

HONDAJET - PAYLOAD

Passengers  >>  2 crew + 5 passengers

Baggage  >>  66 cubic feet

HondaJet Exterior

HondaJet Exterior 2

HondaJet Exterior 3

HondaJet Interior 1

HondaJet Interior 2

HondaJet Interior 3

Artificial black holes made with metamaterials

Design for manmade light trapping device could help harvest light for solar cells

Washington, D.C. (November 16, 2010) -- While our direct knowledge of black holes in the universe is limited to what we can observe from thousands or millions of light years away, a team of Chinese physicists has proposed a simple way to design an artificial electromagnetic (EM) black hole in the laboratory.


In the Journal of Applied Physics, Huanyang Chen at Soochow University and colleagues have presented a design of an artificial EM black hole designed using five types of composite isotropic materials, layered so that their transverse magnetic modes capture EM waves to which the object is subjected. The artificial EM black hole does not let EM waves escape, analogous to a black hole trapping light. In this case, the trapped EM waves are in the microwave region of the spectrum.


The so-called metamaterials used in the experiment are artificially engineered materials designed to have unusual properties not seen in nature. Metamaterials have also been used in studies of invisibility cloaking and negative-refraction superlenses. The group suggests the same method might be adaptable to higher frequencies, even those of visible light.
"Development of artificial black holes would enable us to measure how incident light is absorbed when passing through them," says Chen. "They can also be applied to harvesting light in a solar-cell system."

Potential of sperm damage for men using laptops on their laps.

US fertility experts (Thursday 9 December) warned teenage boys and young men to consider limiting the time that they use laptop computers positioned on their laps, as long-term use may affect their fertility.


The increasing popularity of laptop computers (LC), coupled with existing evidence that elevated scrotal temperature can result in sperm damage, prompted researchers from the State University of New York at Stony Brook to undertake the first study into the effect of heat from LC on scrotal temperature.


The findings are reported in Europe's leading reproductive medicine journal Human Reproduction[1]. They show that using an LC on the lap increased the left scrotal temperature by a median 2.6°C and the right by a median 2.8°C. Several previous studies have shown that increases in testicular or scrotal temperatures of between 1°C and 2.9°C are associated with a sustained and considerable negative effect on spermatogenesis and fertility.


Lead researcher Dr Yefim Sheynkin, Associate Professor of Urology and Director, Male Infertility and Microsurgery at the University, said: "By 2005, there will be 60 million laptop computers in use in the USA and a predicted 150 million worldwide. Continued improvements in power, size and price of LC have favoured their increased use in younger people and laptop sales now exceed those of desktop computers."


With the exception of an anecdotal report of genital burns, the effect of portable computers on scrotal temperature when they are used on the lap was not known, he said.


"Laptops can reach internal operating temperatures of over 70°C. They are frequently positioned close to the scrotum, and as well as being capable of producing direct local heat, they require the user to sit with his thighs close together to balance the machine, which traps the scrotum between the thighs."


The researchers worked with 29 healthy volunteers aged 21 to 35, measuring scrotal temperatures with and without laptops. Two one-hour sessions of scrotal temperature measurements were performed on different days in the same room with a median room temperature of 22.28°C. The men were dressed in the same casual clothing for each session and sessions with and without LC were conducted at the same time of the day. Body temperature was taken by mouth beforehand and each volunteer spent 15 minutes standing in the room to adjust to room temperature before being seated. A non-working LC was placed on the lap so that the volunteer could adopt the right position to balance the laptop, then removed, and the seating position held for one hour, with scrotal temperature being measured every three minutes. The same procedure was repeated for one hour, with the same baselines controls, but this time with a working laptop. The temperature of the bottom surface of the LC was also measured at intervals.


"We found that scrotal temperatures rose by 2.1°C when the men sat with their thighs together, which is necessary to keep LC on the lap. But, the rise was significantly higher when the LC were used – 2.8°C on the right side and 2.6°C on the left," said Dr Sheynkin. " It shows that scrotal hyperthermia is produced by both special body posture and local heating effect of LC."


The median surface temperature of Pentium 4 computers used increased from nearly 31°C at the start of the experiment to nearly 40°C after one hour.


Dr Sheynkin said: "The body needs to maintain a proper testicular temperature for normal sperm production and development (spermatogenesis). Portable computers in a laptop position produce scrotal hyperthermia by both the direct heating effect of the computer and the sitting position necessary to balance the computer. The magnitude of scrotal hyperthermia associated with abnormal spermatogenesis is unclear. But, previous studies suggest that 1°C above the baseline is the possible minimal thermal gradient capable of inhibiting spermatogenesis and sperm concentration may be decreased by 40% per 1°C increment of median daytime scrotal temperature.


"We don't know the exact frequency and time of heat exposure capable of producing reversible or irreversible changes in spermatogenesis. Studies have shown significant but reversible changes after short-term heating. However, LC produce significant repetitive transient scrotal hyperthermia for years, and insufficient recovery time between heat exposures may cause irreversible or partially reversible changes in male reproductive function."


Dr Sheynkin said his team now planned further studies to evaluate the heating effect of LC on testicular function and sperm parameters. For now, he did not know an exact time for safe use. However, their study showed that within the first 15 minutes of use scrotal temperatures increased by 1°C, so it did not take long to reach a point that may affect testicular function. Also, frequent use may cause intermittent temperature rises, which could significantly increase a single heating effect.


"Until further studies provide more information on this type of thermal exposure", he said, "teenage boys and young men may consider limiting their use of LC on their laps, as long-term use may have a detrimental effect on their reproductive health."


Dr Sheynkin added that two LC brands were tested randomly to avoid criticism that brands may differ. "All laptop computers generate significant heat due to the increasing power requirements of computer chips. New laptops with higher power requirements may produce even more heat. So far, computer fans and 'heat sinks' are not sufficient. It's possible that external protective devices could somewhat help, but it is essential to confirm their protective effect in a clinical study to prevent commercial advertising and use of inefficient and useless products." (ends)