MICHIMASA FUJINO

Michimasa Fujino is the founding president and CEO of Honda Aircraft Company. At Honda Aircraft, he is responsible for the development, production, marketing, and sales of the innovative HondaJet. Since 2009, he has also concurrently served as an operating officer of Honda Motor Co., Ltd.

Fujino’s clean sheet design for an advanced light jet that could achieve both high speed and high fuel efficiency led to the development of key Honda technologies and concepts. Fujino discovered the optimum location for the HondaJet Over-The-Wing Engine Mount configuration. This aeronautical breakthrough was proven to dramatically enhance aircraft performance, fuel efficiency and passenger comfort. He also developed a new natural laminar flow (NLF) wing and fuselage nose for the light jet and new application concepts in composite structures contributed to a lighter airframe. These three innovations combined allow the HondaJet to achieve higher speed, superior fuel efficiency and more cabin and luggage space over other light jets in its class. 

Fujino has received international recognition for his pioneering contributions to aeronautical research and design. He has been the recipient of numerous international awards and distinctions, including the International Council of the Aeronautical Sciences Zhukovsky Award for Innovation in Aeronautics (2014), SAE International Clarence L. (Kelly) Johnson Aerospace Vehicle Design and Development Award (2013), American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) prestigious Aircraft Design Award (2012), Japan Industrial Designers’ Association Design Museum Award (2011), and Aviation Week and Technology’s Vision Award (2008). His extensive research and theories on aircraft configuration design, advanced aerodynamics and aeroelasticity have been published in numerous technical and academic journals, and he holds several patents for aircraft design.

Fujino joined Honda R&D Co. Ltd. in Japan in 1984 after graduating from Tokyo University with a degree in aeronautical engineering.