The question has been on our minds since the initial certification of Garmin’s Autoland suite—what company would be next to apply the safety system to its aircraft? In the owner-flown business aviation sector, there have been several candidates to integrate the automated emergency landing avionics and airframe hardware, software, and protocols, beyond first movers Piper Aircraft for the M600/SLS Halo, Daher for the TBM 940 HomeSafe, and Cirrus for the Vision Jet with Safe Return.
Honda Aircraft Company announced Monday at the 2022 National Business Aviation Association’s Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition (NBAA-BACE) that the updated Hondajet Elite II will have increased range and autothrottle—and, most exciting in our minds, Garmin’s Autoland system.
“The HondaJet Elite II once again pushes the boundaries of its category on all fronts of performance, comfort, and style,” said Hideto Yamasaki, president and CEO of Honda Aircraft Company. “We are also excited to take our aircraft forward on the journey of automation by bringing new technologies to the market next year.”
Safety—and Added Range
FLYING bestowed its 2021 Innovation Award on Garmin’s Autoland, which also secured the prestigious Robert J. Collier Trophy last year. The recognition stemmed from the advance in safety represented by the system, and Honda Aircraft cited this as a primary reason for its adoption on the Elite series.
In a statement released to FLYING, the company said, “This direction encapsulates the continuous effort to improve the HondaJet through automation, augmentation, and situational awareness technologies, to enhance operational safety and reduce pilot workload while aligning with global Honda’s commitment to advances in safety technology.”
Honda is also adding another key update to the Elite series, increasing the model’s range to 1,547 nm. It will retain its fuel efficiency as well, keeping its leadership position in the very light jet class. Ground spoilers will also come with the new model, improving takeoff and landing performance.
Performance, Avionics, and Style Updates
In total, the upgrades creating the Elite II form a substantial step up for the series. To summarize those features, we look at areas of performance, avionics, and style.
Performance
- Range: 1,547 nm, NBAA IFR with four occupants
- Increased fuel capacity: additional space to carry more fuel
- Increased gross weight: maximum takeoff weight of 11,100 pounds
- Ground spoiler: optimizes takeoff and landing field performance with increased weight
Avionics
Based on the Garmin G3000 already found in the Elite model series, Honda Aircraft will add the following to its avionics suite:
- Stabilized approach, with aural and visual alerting
- Optional autothrottle, to automate power management based on desired flight characteristics, available in the first half of 2023
- Optional Emergency Autoland from Garmin, which activates in an emergency situation to autonomously control and land the aircraft without human intervention, available in the second half of 2023
Style
Along with the updates to the airframe and avionics, Honda also listed a slew of new color and interior options for the Elite II, including:
- New “Black Edition”
- New Black Sable signature exterior paint schemes
- New corporate paint scheme
- New interior colors
- Onyx: a rich and warm neutral greige cabin theme with mid-tone wood accents
- Steel: a modern light cool grey theme with high contrast marble accents
- New optional aisle flooring with hardwood herringbone and plank patterns
- Acoustic Enhancement: nose to tail acoustic treatment for a tranquil cabin experience
- Sheepskin covers available as an option for pilot seats
- Additional 3-inches of legroom configuration available for crew seat with extended seat track as an option
- Interior multi-color LED lighting with soft indigo nighttime setting
- Ground illumination on the main entry door
- Integrated exterior lights
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