Eclipse Aviation News
As a member of the board, Barents joins a noteworthy team including Chairman Harold Poling, retired chairman and CEO of Ford Motor Company; Kent Kresa, chairman, president and CEO of Northrop Grumman; Alfred Mann, retired chairman and CEO of MiniMed; and Vern Raburn, president and CEO of Eclipse Aviation.
The company also announced that Dr. Sam Williams, chairman and CEO of Williams International, has resigned his position on the board subsequent to the successful transition of the Eclipse 500 airframe development and certification program from Williams International to Eclipse Aviation.
“We are extremely pleased to welcome Brian to the board,” said Harold Poling, chairman of Eclipse Aviation. “He has a thorough understanding of business aviation and extensive knowledge of boardroom proceedings. He will undoubtedly contribute a great deal to the success of Eclipse Aviation.”
At Galaxy Aerospace Corporation, Barents was responsible for operating and financial performance as well as new product development. He was also responsible for negotiating the sale of Galaxy to Gulfstream.
Throughout his career Barents has served in prominent positions including Chairman of the General Aviation Manufacturers Association, President and CEO of Learjet, Inc., Senior Vice President at Cessna Aircraft Company, and a senior executive with Toyota Motor Corporation.
Barents' successes have not been limited to his business career. For more than 34 years he enjoyed a distinguished military career, serving most notably as Brigadier General in the United States Air Force, Kansas Air National Guard and Chief of Staff at Headquarters for the Air National Guard in Topeka, Kansas. Barents is an active pilot with over 4,000 hours of flight time.
“As Eclipse moves towards certification, we welcome the role of Brian Barents, who has extensive operating experience in airframe manufacturing companies,” said Vern Raburn, president and CEO of Eclipse. “We are grateful for the contributions Dr. Sam Williams has made to Eclipse Aviation and we look forward to an ongoing relationship with Williams International as supplier of the EJ22 engine for the Eclipse 500.”
“Due to Eclipse Aviation's success in building a viable aircraft company, the plan to transition all airframe activities to Eclipse has been accomplished almost two years ahead of schedule. As originally intended, this is the point at which I planned to resign from the Eclipse board. Henceforth, we will exert all our effort toward being a good engine supplier to Eclipse,” said Dr. Williams.
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 quarter 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.