This Week in GA: Honoring the Builders

It’s hard to believe it has been so long since the HondaJet—that made us all do a double take with its unique engine configuration—appeared in the skies over Oshkosh. 

For a blast from the past, check out the video released six years ago, remembering the HondaJet’s debut at EAA AirVenture 2005, when it was still deep in experimental mode and before the Honda Aircraft Company as we know it now was officially founded. 

Building the Dream in Greensboro

HondaJet celebrates 20 years since that founding now, having delivered 275 examples of the HA-420 model, with iterations of the original up to the most recent Elite II currently in production. A second model series, the Echelon, is in development after a dramatic reveal at NBAA in 2023.

I had the opportunity to sit down a couple of times with the company’s president, CEO, and founding engineer, Michimasa Fujino, prior to his retirement in April 2022 (Honda has an age limit of 62 for its executives). His singularity of purpose, drive, and perfectionism set the tone for the company during its formative years, and at times it struck me the HA-420 took flight from sheer force of will. Build it they did, though, and in doing so created something unique out of a dream.

Twenty years on, the HondaJet has proven itself in spite of a few setbacks, with gross weight increases at each model iteration, though it still relies upon its relatively small-profile tires and braking system rather than any reversers (like the Cessna Citation Mustang), so pilots must be vigilant about airspeed control. The HondaJet Owners and Pilots Association has done a significant amount of education and training to provide the owner-pilot with the tools to get the most from the jet. 

Led today by Fujino’s personable and solution-oriented successor, Hideto Yamasaki, Honda Aircraft Company is transitioning from a design-focused engineering team to a customer-centric production team, and we look forward to seeing the Echelon and other Honda aircraft take flight.

Building a Tail with Zenith

If you’d like to try your hand at building your own kitplane (maybe not as complex as the HondaJet, but maybe more fun) you might check out the next in the series of hands-on workshops hosted by the Zenith Aircraft Company. 

My good friend and colleague Amy Wilder—with zero homebuilding experience—took the plunge a couple of years ago at a beginning workshop in which she worked on the rudder tail section of a STOL CH-701. Though she went on to buy a Cessna 150 for her first airplane, that tail sits proudly in her hangar, inspiring her each day. “Every once in a while I think I should build the rest of the airplane,” she says. Plus, “the guys at Zenith are so nice!”

Just a few folks join each class, which generally takes place each month at the company’s headquarters in Mexico, Missouri (KMYJ). The next one’s on September 16 and 17, just prior to the official annual Zenith Homecoming this year, on September 18 and 19.

Can’t make it to Mexico? Well, the company takes this show on the road a few times each year, with the next event coming up in Michigan in October. Hosted by EAA Chapter 1056 at the Livingston County Spencer J. Hardy Airport (KOZW), you can join Zenith CEO Sebastien Heintz in your pursuit of riveting nirvana.

What Dolly Built: A Legacy at BNA

Finally, I feel remiss if I don’t at least acknowledge aviation’s connection to the country music legend and all-around great person Dolly Parton, who died from cancer on August 25. I was too bummed to do much more than listen through the high points (for me) of her significant discography last week—including what has to be for my 80s heart the ultimate mash up, Dolly singing “My Blue Tears” with Duran Duran’s Simon LeBon.

This week, the groundswell to rename the Nashville International Airport (KBNA) after the late icon has hit a crescendo, with Tennessee Governor Bill Lee announcing a partnership with the airport authority to do just that.

At first glance, it may seem that renaming an airport after a woman who wasn’t all that keen about flying herself may not ring true, but in fact Dolly supported her niece, Danielle Parton, in her own dreams of flight. As it turns out, the younger Parton has had a distinguished military career, flying for both Tennessee and Kentucky Air National Guard units, mainly in the Lockheed C-130. Following retirement, Danielle’s now piloting the Boeing 787 for an airline she does not disclose—but I believe rhymes with “a jerry can”—and inspiring others to fly, just as her incredible aunt touched so many lives.

So go for it, Tennessee. As much as some airport renamings have never stuck with me (I’m looking at you, Washington National), I’ll be proud to land at Dolly Parton International. What Dolly built, between songs, and literacy, and hospitality, deserves to be so honored.