Two promising light jet aircraft -- one quite a bit lighter than the other -- have been recognized by Popular Science magazine for their contributions to aviation. Diamond Aircraft's D-Jet and the Honda Aircraft Company's HondaJet are both receipients of the magazine's 2006 "Best Of What's New" award.

Creating a new market segment in personal aviation, the D-Jet (above) is a five-place luxury personal jet offering practical performance, low cost, and high safety and comfort. While most VLJs (very light jets) are essentially miniaturized business jets with the expense, criticality, complexity and weight of operation at high altitudes, the D-Jet, with an operating altitude of 25,000' is optimized for efficiency, system and structural simplicity, and insurability more appropriate for most private pilots.

"Best of What’s New' is the ultimate Popular Science accolade, representing a year’s worth work evaluating thousands of products," says Mark Jannot, editor of Popular Science. "These awards honor innovations that not only influence the way we live today, but that change the way we think about the future."

The HondaJet -- which went on sale last month at NBAA -- was chosen from among dozens of aviation products for its breakthrough design and innovative features, representing a significant step forward in its category.

"We're honored that HondaJet was selected for this respected award," said Michimasa Fujino, who led the HondaJet development team and is now president & CEO of Honda Aircraft Company, Inc.  "Our objective was to design and develop an advanced light jet that would create new value for personal and business aviation.  We appreciate this award recognizing our success in creating something truly innovative."

FMI: www.popsci.com, www.hondajet.com, www.diamondaircraft.com