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Honda's first production jet takes off from North Carolina

Plenty of automakers have backgrounds in aircraft manufacturing. BMW, Bristol, Mitsubishi, Saab and Spyker all started out in the airplane business. But Honda is going the opposite direction, expanding its automotive (not to mention motorcycle, ATV, marine engine and power equipment) business with the launch of the HondaJet. And that project has just taken a big step forward.
After starting production a year and a half ago, the Japanese industrial giant recently completed its first customer HondaJet, and has now taken that initial production aircraft to the skies for its landmark first flight. The aircraft left the production facility in Greensboro and took off on Friday morning from Piedmont Triad International Airport in North Carolina - the same state where the Wright Brothers undertook their first flight over a century ago.
The HondaJet undertook an 84-minute test flight, climbing to 15,500 feet and reaching a speed of 348 knots. That works out to 400 miles per hour - assuredly faster than any Honda (save for maybe a prototype for the same aircraft) has traveled before. The aircraft is designed to cruise at a maximum of 420 knots (483 mph) and reach a maximum altitude of 43,000 feet.

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The glorious return of the Civic Type R

This is it Honda fans, the moment you've all been waiting for. This is the new generation Civic Type R that will finally come to the US. Or at least it pretty much is. Technically this is still a prototype, and the production model will be shown early next year. However, based on Honda's recent Civic "concepts," you can rest easy knowing nothing major is going to change. The biggest change you'll probably see is in paint finish. The concept here has been given an interesting brushed aluminum-look vinyl wrap. If you're really have to have it, there's probably a decal shop nearby that could hook you up. View 22 Photos Moving past that, the Type R takes the standard hatchback and adds aggression rather than lightness. The front bumper is widened with extra slats, along with the fenders front and rear. It also gets a deeper chin spoiler in bare carbon fiber with a red accent stripe. Up on the hood is the intriguing addition of a scoop. We assume it's functional, and we imagine it feeds a top-mounted intercooler like the scoops on the Subaru WRX and last Mazdaspeed3. According to rumors, the engine under the scooped hood could produce as much as 340 horsepower. The sides of the car also get carbon fiber side skirts to go along with the front spoiler. The widened fenders accommodate fat wheels shod with 245 width tires. This leads to the back where the Type R once again receives an over-the-top rear wing, which we assume to be just as functional as the last one. The rear of the Type R also gets one more cool feature. It has functional, triple tailpipes, just like the Ferrari 458 Italia and the F40. Honda also brought attention to the exhaust by painting the center pipe red. We don't yet know the exact purpose of the third pipe, but we're excited to find out. As previously mentioned, this is just a "concept" and the production model will be shown early next year. After that, the Type R will be released in Europe first during the second half of 2017. US availability has not been announced yet. Related Video: Related Gallery Honda Civic Type R Concept Paris Motor Show Image Credit: Live photos copyright 2016 Drew Phillilps / Autoblog Paris Motor Show Honda Hatchback Performance honda civic type r hot hatch 2016 paris motor show civic type r hot hatchback