GREENSBORO, N.C. – August 12, 2021 – AIAA today honored Michimasa Fujino, lead HondaJet designer and President & CEO of Honda Aircraft Company, with its 2021 Reed Aeronautics Award “for the invention of advanced aerodynamic and structural techniques” at the AIAA Aerospace Spotlight Awards Gala. The Reed Award is the highest honor an individual can receive for a notable achievement in aeronautics that represents a significant milestone in engineering advancement.
The annual AIAA Aerospace Spotlight Awards Gala recognizes the most influential and inspiring individuals in aerospace, whose outstanding contributions merit the highest accolades. This year, AIAA held the 2021 Spotlight Awards Gala virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The clean-sheet aircraft design conceived by Fujino introduced innovations in aviation technology, including the Over-The-Wing Engine Mount and Natural Laminar Flow wing and fuselage. The HondaJet is the first, and only, business jet to include these technologies.
“I was very surprised, honored, and very grateful to be recognized with the 2021 Reed Aeronautics Award,” said Fujino. “I’ve worked on airplane design for the past 35 years - it has been challenging, but also very exciting. On behalf of Honda Aircraft Company, I’d like to express my sincere appreciation to everyone who supported the HondaJet project.”
Watch the virtual 2021 Spotlight Awards Gala here.
About AIAA Reed Aeronautics Award
The Reed Aeronautics Award is the highest honor AIAA bestows for notable achievement in the field of aeronautics. The award is named after Dr. Sylvanus A. Reed, an aeronautical engineer, designer, and founding member of the Institute of the Aeronautical Sciences in 1932. Reed was the first to develop a propeller system composed of metal rather than wood. His aluminum alloy propeller gave Jimmy Doolittle's plane the speed it needed to win the 1925 Schneider Cup race and brought the inventor much credit and many rewards. Past recipients of the award include Clarence L. Johnson for the SR-71, Ben R. Rich for the F-117, Preston A. Henne for the MD-80 and Gulfstream aircraft, and Elbert L. Rutan for the Voyager.
About the HondaJet Elite S
The HondaJet Elite S is the fastest, farthest and highest-flying plane in its class. The HondaJet Elite S incorporates Honda Aircraft's many technological innovations, including the unique Over-The-Wing Engine Mount (OTWEM) configuration, Natural Laminar Flow (NLF) nose and wing, and composite fuselage. The aircraft is also powered by the GE Honda Aero Engines HF120. All of these advancements contribute to the aircraft's superior performance, unparalleled efficiency and maximized fuselage space, making the aircraft's cabin the largest in its class. The HondaJet Elite S cabin features a full service galley, a private lavatory with optional belted seat and an industry first Bongiovi sound system. The aircraft sets the standard in safety and human-machine interface technology with an ergonomically designed cockpit and highly customized Garmin® G3000 avionics suite.
Honda Aircraft continues to be committed to improving lives through personal mobility, while living in a sustainable society. The HondaJet Elite S remains significantly more fuel efficient and emits less greenhouse gases than all other similarly sized twin-engine business jets. Certified for single pilot operations, the HondaJet Elite S continues to live up to the company's reputation for superior performance, efficiency, quality, and value.
About Honda Aircraft Company
Honda Aircraft Company is a wholly owned subsidiary of American Honda Motor Co., Inc. Founded in 2006, Honda Aircraft's world headquarters is located in North Carolina, the birthplace of aviation. The challenging spirit upon which Mr. Soichiro Honda founded Honda Motor Co., Ltd. is alive today as Honda Aircraft fulfills one of Honda's longstanding dreams to advance human mobility skyward.