Eclipse Aviation News
“Our recent progress demonstrates that we will deliver what we promised to our customers - a jet that will withstand and exceed the rigors of high-cycle operations,” said Eclipse Aviation president and CEO Vern Raburn. “Our test aircraft are proving to be exactly what we intended when we designed the Eclipse 500 – high performing, reliable and easy to maintain.”
Testing Milestones
The Eclipse 500 test fleet of FAA-conforming aircraft has exceeded 500 flight hours, accelerating to speeds of 285 knots and soaring to heights of 41,000 feet. The flight test fleet, which is comprised of aircraft N502EA, N503EA, N504EA, N505EA and N506EA, most recently completed critical testing milestones, including:
-Lightweight foreign object debris (FOD) testing at various throttle settings up to take-off thrust, and at a variety of speeds ranging from standstill to 70 knots
-Developmental water ingestion testing, which taxied the jet through a ½ inch trough of water at speeds up to 100 knots to simulate heavy rain conditions
-20 landings in one day on one aircraft to test tire wear
-Achieving more than 100 test points on a single aircraft in one day
-Endurance testing with single flight durations of more than three hours
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.