Eclipse Aviation News
“After years of hard work and innovation, the first Eclipse 500 test-flight aircraft is out of the hangar and close to taking flight,” said Eclipse CEO Vern Raburn. “Today we’re celebrating a significant milestone in our quest to change the way the people travel, one that could not have been made possible without the support and dedication of many of those who are here today.”
The Eclipse 500 is a six-person twin-engine jet aircraft enabling the creation of new forms of air travel that will provide much-needed alternatives to commercial airlines. Through the Eclipse 500, these emerging air-travel services will be able to offer passengers access to 10,000 airports in the U.S. alone, ushering in an age where point-to-point private jet travel will be available to everyone at affordable prices. This will be a dramatic departure from today’s commercial airline system, which forces 70 percent of all air travelers to pass through 29 increasingly crowded “hub” airports.
Selling for $837,500 (in June 2000 dollars), the Eclipse 500 costs approximately a quarter of today’s small jet aircraft and will be significantly safer, easier and less expensive to fly. The Eclipse 500 flies 355 knots (408 mph) and can travel 1,300 nautical miles (1,495 statute miles, about the distance between Boston and Miami) at a cost of approximately 56 cents a mile to operate. The new jet features revolutionary manufacturing and electronics systems and is powered by the EJ22, a turbofan engine that weighs approximately 85 pounds and delivers over 770 pounds of thrust, a higher thrust-to-weight ratio than any commercial turbofan ever produced.
“We’ve married best practices from the high-tech and aviation worlds to build a jet that combines advanced digital technologies with breakthrough propulsion and electronics systems,” said Raburn. “Bolstered by our high-volume manufacturing processes, these achievements translate into the lowest cost of ownership ever achieved in a jet aircraft.” Eclipse Aviation has also pioneered the use of friction stir welding in production on thin-gauge aircraft aluminum. Friction stir welding has replaced many of the rivets on the Eclipse 500, including rivets that would normally be found in the cabin, aft fuselage, wings and engine mounts. The elimination of thousands of rivets dramatically reduces assembly costs and cycle-time production, and ultimately results in better quality joining and stronger, lighter joints.
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.