It took a Honda engineer 30 years to achieve his career dream of a ‘flying sports car’
US$4.9 million HondaJet was introduced in 2005, but only received its certifications because of extensive testing, what kept Michimasa Fujino going?
When Michimasa Fujino started his career in Honda Motor’s automotive engineering department three decades ago, he was determined to create a “flying sports car.”
After years of development, design, testing and disappointment — the project was cancelled at one point — his vision was realised.
The US$4.9 million jet is a four-to-five seater designed to be agile yet stable. The company is now producing four units a month and says the jets are top performers (climbing at 3,990 feet per minute) and the most fuel-efficient in their class.
Fujino, now CEO of Honda’s Honda Aircraft Company subsidiary, said he personally delivers each plane.
“HondaJet is a kind of art piece for me and every single HondaJet is like a child for me,” he told CNBC. “I want to see the customer in person and if I can see the excitement of the customers, that motivates me.”
Fujino, in his late 50s, said he was 26 when he first went to the U.S. and attended a business jet trade show. “I thought, some day in the future, if I display a jet I designed, how wonderful it is.”