Eclipse Aviation News
Eclipse 500 customers will receive all of their classroom and simulator training in this building including the type rating course and recurrent training. The 41,500 square foot two-story facility will accommodate four simulators, four classrooms and eight briefing rooms. The first Flight Training Device (FTD) has already been installed in the Center and will be used to train Eclipse 500 pilots shortly. An additional full motion simulator will be certified and operational in the coming months, with four full motion simulators operational by the end of 2008. Eclipse 500 pilot training will transition from the current in-aircraft training to full motion simulator training.
“Since arriving in Albuquerque seven years ago, we have always planned to grow at the Double Eagle II airport. This Customer Training Center is the first step in our commitment to create an Eclipse Aviation campus and help grow the city’s planned Aerospace Technology Park at this airport,” said Vern Raburn, president and CEO of Eclipse Aviation. “This new facility also shows our dedication to providing our customers with the ultimate training experience. We have an excellent flight training program, and we are extremely excited to start training our customers using the flight training device and the full motion simulators in this new state-of-the-art facility.”
The Center is located on 3.5 acres of Eclipse Aviation’s 150-acre tract, which borders the northern boundary of Albuquerque’s Aerospace Technology Park at Double Eagle II airport. In the coming weeks, training personnel will start moving their offices to the facility. The company plans to employ approximately 100 people at the Center when it is in full operation.
Several local companies were involved in the development of the Center including Reid & Associates (design builder), Dekker/Perich/Sabatini (architect), Yearout Mechanical (mechanical engineers) and Chaparral Electric (electrical engineers).
Eclipse Aviation, manufacturer of the world's first very light jet, 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 half that 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 business travelers 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. Contact Eclipse at http://www.eclipseaviation.com.