Honda Aero Receives FAA Production Certificate For HF120 Turbofan Jet Engine in North Carolina

- First time in 23 years FAA issues Production Certificate to a new company making jet engines in America

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Mar 17, 2015, 04:00 ET

BURLINGTON, N.C., March 17, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Honda Aero, Inc. (HAI) announced today that it has been issued a PART 21 Production Certificate from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). HAI is responsible for the production of the GE Honda Aero Engines (GHAE) HF120 turbofan engine that powers the HondaJet and other GHAE customers' aircraft.

"This is a great achievement for our team of Honda Aero associates and an important milestone in our effort to meet the needs of customers for the HF120 engine," said HAI President Masahiko Izumi. "Much work has gone into preparing for this certification, and we will continue working to support GE Honda Aero Engines as they prepare for entry into service with the HF120 engine."

Initial production of the HF120 engines took place at GE's Lynn facility in Massachusetts. At the end of 2014, HAI started assembly of the HF120 under GHAE's Type Certification (TC) and with FAA oversight. With this program milestone, HAI's Burlington facility can now produce engines under the HAI Production Certificate. HAI is the first company to be awarded a FAA Production Certificate for jet engines in the last 23 years of aviation history.

In addition to production of the HF120, HAI Burlington was chosen as the official maintenance, repair, and overhaul site for the engine. This provides the flexibility to better respond to customer demands.

About Honda Aero, Inc.
Honda Aero, Inc. (HAI) conducts parts procurement, assembly and testing of jet engines at its 82,000-square-foot facility, located adjacent to the Burlington-Alamance County regional airport in Burlington, North Carolina. HAI will also provide engine maintenance and overhaul services for its customers at its Burlington facility.

About GE Honda Aero Engines
GE and Honda formed a 50/50 joint venture in 2004, called GE Honda Aero Engines, based in Cincinnati, Ohio. The joint company integrates the resources of GE Aviation and Honda Aero, Inc., a Honda subsidiary established to manage its aviation engine business.

About the HF120 Turbofan Engine

Rated at 2,095 pounds of thrust, the HF120 engine sets new standards of performance in fuel efficiency, durability, and low noise and emissions. HF120 technologies include:

A wide-chord, compound, swept front fan blisk, along with composite outlet guide vanes.
A high-temperature titanium impeller in the compressor for maximum engine pressure ratio and stall-free performance.
A compact reverse-flow configuration combustor and single-stage air-blast fuel nozzles.
Advanced materials in the high-pressure (HP) turbine as well as a two-stage low-pressure (LP) turbine and a counter rotating HP and LP spool shaft system.

For additional information about GE Honda, please visit our website at http://www.gehonda.com

About Honda
Honda (NYSE: HMC) is the world's largest engine manufacturer, annually producing more than 27 million engines for a wide range of products, including: aircraft, motorcycles, ATVs, generators, marine engines, lawn and garden equipment, and Honda and Acura automobiles.

Honda's website: http://www.honda.com and its media website: http://www.hondanews.com

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SOURCE Honda Aero, Inc.