Atlantic Aero Helped Land HondaJet for Piedmont Triad

Don Godwin is not a jobs recruiter, a government leader or a corporate executive.

But some say Honda Aircraft Co. would not have forged its close attachment to Piedmont Triad International Airport without the steady friendship and technical assistance of Godwin, the understated chairman and chief executive officer of Atlantic Aero.

His unique perspective is a window on Honda's development of its new "very light jet" during the past several years here and how the Triad last week won the company's $60 million manufacturing and design center.

The roots of this relationship go back to 1999, when Michimasa Fujino first came to check out Atlantic Aero, the general aviation operation at PTI.

Fujino was on a scouting mission; his company was in the early stages of designing a revolutionary aircraft, and it needed help.

"They formed this great relationship," said Dan Lynch, the president of the Greensboro Economic Development Partnership.

Atlantic Aero could offer its advanced ability to do aeronautical engineering. Godwin agreed to have his engineers support Fujino's engineers and allow his shops to make special parts for a prototype plane.

"I felt a tremendous level of excitement from the first day I set my eyes on the airplane when it was presented to us," Godwin said. "There was excitement for us through the whole period, and it continues through this day."

Aviation always has been a passion for Godwin, 60. His father operated a general aviation company in Missouri.

Flying was natural for Godwin and his family. He flew solo in seven planes the day he turned 16 in 1962. He has been at PTI since 1971, when his family moved here to open the new business.

Fujino, whose entire career has been devoted to developing an airplane for Honda, spotted that passion for aviation the minute he spoke to the people at Atlantic Aero. They were, he said, "people who love aviation from their heart."

Despite big cultural and language differences, Godwin said aviation was an immediate bond.

The jet's design was completed, and it was assembled and tested at a hangar leased by Honda on the west side of Atlantic Aero's PTI property.

"Their attention to detail and their discipline to detail and all might appear to be obsessive to us, but it's just fundamental to their culture," he said of the Japanese company. "The harmony of working with them is incredible."

Thirty Atlantic Aero engineers worked on the project.

With support from Atlantic Aero, Honda was able to fly the blue and white jet by December 2003.

Godwin even flew several test flights himself.

"It felt incredible," he said. "No surprises. It was just an extremely nice handling airplane. It is a business jet, and it felt sort of typical in a lot of regards, which is a good thing. I think it's just well-balanced in all aspects of flight control."

By this time, Lynch and others knew about the once-secret project and wondered whether Honda would sell the jets - and whether they could be built here. Godwin became a go-between who asked for progress reports on the project.

The Piedmont Triad Airport Authority was "extremely understanding and respectful of the Honda program and weren't overly aggressive in trying to entice them to come to the airport," Godwin said.

"They understood ... how much work was going on, " he said.

Henry Isaacson, the chairman of the airport authority, praised Godwin.

Last year, just after Honda announced it would locate its corporate headquarters here, Isaacson hailed a mysterious go-between who was key to that decision.

"He was not a paid consultant. He was a friend of both the Honda folks and he's a friend of the airport," Isaacson said at the time.

"We used him to take our message to the Honda people. I'm certain that that played a big role."

Godwin, who retired Jan. 31, credits his workers and airport officials for making Honda feel welcome.

"It was incredibly great. It's probably the best business experience I've had in my 40 years of being in business," he said. "It's a tremendous way to cap off a 40-year career."

Contact Richard M. Barron at 373-7371 or dbarron @news-record.com

nA common bond in aviation persuaded Don Godwin to help develop the HondaJet at PTI.

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