AIN is pleased to announce the winner of the 2021 Top Flight Awards New Business Jet category: the HondaJet Elite S.

When deliveries of the first production HondaJet HA-420 began in late 2015, it quickly attracted attention. The airplane’s carbon-fiber composite fuselage is mated to metal wings with over-wing engine pylons, thin natural laminar flow wings, a porpoise-like nose, and raked cockpit side windows. The design helps to make the aircraft speedy and allows for more rear cabin and luggage space–including room for an enclosed toilet—and a larger, quieter cabin with less vibration. The over-the-wing-engine-mount pylons reduce drag and eliminate the need to contour the aft fuselage. Building on the success of the original HondaJet, the new $5.4-million dollar Elite S features an increase in maximum takeoff weight, flight deck improvements, a nosewheel steering system enhancement, and new paint colors. The maximum takeoff weight is 200 pounds heavier, which allows carriage of an extra passenger or flying an additional 120 nautical miles with one pilot and five passengers.