Eclipse Aviation News
“We have reached an inflection point in our growth,” said Vern Raburn, president and CEO of Eclipse Aviation. “The design of the Eclipse 500 is essentially complete and we are accelerating into certification flight test and production. It is a logical time to align our executive leadership team to ensure we can continue to deliver the caliber of breakthrough innovations that will enrich general aviation for years to come.”
Eclipse has elevated both Dr. Oliver Masefield and Don Burtis to the distinguished role of senior vice president, senior fellow. Masefield previously served as the company's senior vice president of engineering and Burtis previously led Eclipse's avionics & electronics organization. In the newly established position of senior fellow, Masefield and Burtis will guide Eclipse's technical vision and create the technical innovations that will fuel the company's next stage of growth and future generation of aircraft. Being appointed to a fellow role is the highest honor a technologist can receive at innovation-centric companies including Apple, Disney, IBM and Xerox. While the position of fellow exists in commercial aviation organizations such as Boeing and United Technologies Corp., Eclipse is thought to be the first general aviation company to embrace this central technical leadership role.
“Eclipse Aviation is built on a foundation of technical innovation,” Raburn said. “Don and Oliver are largely responsible for the key innovations of the Eclipse 500. In the role of senior fellows, they will be able to focus on bringing innovations to our future aircraft and ongoing enhancements of the Eclipse 500.”
Also today, Eclipse announced that it has promoted Ken Harness to the role of vice president of engineering. Harness, who previously served as Eclipse's director of propulsion systems in the engineering organization, will assume responsibility for the day-to-day management of Eclipse's engineering and avionics & electronics operations. Harness, known for his strong leadership and management expertise, was instrumental in enabling Eclipse to successfully architect and navigate the transition from Williams International to Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC) engines. Before joining Eclipse, Harness held leadership positions with Sikorsky Aircraft, Pratt & Whitney and Williams International. Earlier in his career, Ken served as an Army aviator in various assignments globally, including aviation company command, U.S. State Department aviation operations support and combat aviation operations in Southwest Asia. An aviation enthusiast, Harness is qualified as a UH-60 test pilot, and as a commercial instrument pilot in UH-1's, AH-1's and OH-58 helicopters. Harness holds a bachelor's degree from Purdue University and MBA from Oakland University.
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.