Eclipse Aviation News
“We set out to provide our customers and the aviation communities they frequent with an aircraft that produces exceptionally low noise on takeoff, in the air and on landing,” said Vern Raburn, president and CEO of Eclipse Aviation. “Our dedication to set a new low noise standard through innovative design is paying off, as the Eclipse 500 far exceeds every requirement ever established for jet aircraft. This is a very, very community friendly airplane.”
All aircraft must meet the noise requirements set by the ICAO, an organization that administers international aircraft certification standards. For jet-powered aircraft, there are three levels of stringency:
- Stage 2 standards are applicable to jet aircraft designed before October 1977.
- Stage 3 contains a stricter set of noise requirements for newly manufactured aircraft. The Aviation Noise Capacity Act of 1990 required all commercial jets operating in the United States to comply with Stage 3 standards by the year 2000.
- Stage 4 requirements, which have been in effect since January 1, 2005, are the industry’s most stringent noise standards. To meet Stage 4 requirements, a jet powered aircraft must produce cumulative noise levels that are 10 decibels (dB) lower than Stage 3 requirements.
The Eclipse 500’s unprecedented low noise emissions across every critical ICAO testing dimension far exceed the cumulative noise level standard required to meet Stage 4 requirements. While an aircraft must have a cumulative noise level that is 10 dB lower than Stage 3 standards to be Stage 4 compliant, the Eclipse 500 has achieved a cumulative noise level 50.9 dB below Stage 3. Below is a chart showing the requirements for Stage 3, Stage 4 and the Eclipse 500 certification noise testing.
| Lateral (SL) | Fly Over (TO) | Approach (AP) | Cumulative |
Stage 3 Noise Level Requirements (EPNdB) | 94.0 | 89.0 | 98.0 | 281.0 |
Stage 4 Noise Level Requirements (EPNdB) | 92.0 | 87.0 | 96.0 | <271.0 |
Eclipse 500 | 79.2 | 68.8 | 82.1 | 230.1 |
Since the Eclipse 500 will be flying into and out of underutilized, smaller airports throughout the world, Eclipse Aviation engineers completed additional Eclipse 500 noise testing using the same measurement standards that turboprop and piston powered aircraft are tested under. This process differs from jet aircraft noise testing as it uses different techniques to capture a representative noise sample. In this testing, the Eclipse 500 proved significantly quieter than almost all high performance piston aircraft and turboprops. Below is a comparison.
| Jet (J), Turboprop (TP)& Piston (P) | TO (Est dBA) | APP (Est dBA) |
|
| Cessna Citation Encore (twin J) | 58.3 | 83.0 | Currently rated quietest twin jet during TO |
| Mitsubishi MU300 Diamond I (twin J) | 71.9 | 77.2 | Currently rated quietest twin jet on APP |
| Cessna 525 CJ (twin J) | 60.3 | 81.7 |
|
| Cessna Citation I (twin J) | 67.3 | 77.7 |
|
| Learjet 31 (twin J) | 68.9 | 82.9 |
|
| Piper PA-42 Cheyenne (twin TP) | 70.3 | 77.1 |
|
| Beech Super King Air B200 (twin TP) | 68.8 | 77.8 |
|
| Beech 58 Baron (twin P) | 65.1 | 73.3 |
|
| Cessna 421C (twin P) | 61.0 | 74.0 |
|
| Cirrus SR22 (single P) | 73.6 | 63.8 |
|
| Piper PA-46-31P Malibu (single P) | 70.0 | 63.9 |
|
| Beech A36 Bonanza (single P) | 67.8 | 64.0 |
|
| Eclipse 500 (twin jet) | 54.9 | 72.8 |
|
Eclipse Aviation is in the business of designing, certifying and producing modern, affordable jet aircraft that will revolutionize the transportation market. The company is applying advanced electronics systems, manufacturing and business practices to produce aircraft that cost less than a third of today's small jet aircraft, will be significantly safer and easier to operate than those of today, and have the lowest cost of ownership ever achieved in a jet aircraft.
The goal of Eclipse is to bring the word "personal" into aviation, making it possible for commercial air passengers to move directly between cities on a quick, affordable and convenient basis. It will also allow pilot owners to enter the world of jet-powered aviation.