By Andrew Webb
Journal Staff Writer
Eclipse Aviation received full Federal Aviation Administration type certification Saturday morning for its $1.5 million business jet, clearing the way for delivery to customers.
The FAA will have to individually inspect each Eclipse 500 prior to delivery, however, until the company receives a forthcoming production certification, which will likely come soon, Eclipse CEO Vern Raburn told the Journal on Saturday.
"We did it!" he said.
The company has already built several customer aircraft and tested two, which are expected to be delivered to their buyers in a matter of days, company spokesman Andrew Broom said. The company has 23 more in production.
Eclipse is holding three days of celebratory events this weekend for shareholders and customers.
"To all the members of the Eclipse community who are gathered with us today in Albuquerque, and those that are with us in spirit around the world, I want to express my deep gratitude for all the innovative thinking, unwavering encouragement and arduous work that made this unforgettable day possible," Peg Billson, Eclipse chief operating officer said in a news release.
The type certification frees the six-seat plane for all duties within its operating envelope, including single-pilot operation, visual and instrument flight and day and night operation. Some advanced avionics and instruments will not be available right away and will be added, mostly as software upgrades, in coming months.
Beating the odds
Saturday's announcement culminates years of challenges faced by the company, including an expensive engine swap after the plane's original engines proved unreliable. The switch to engines from Pratt & Whitney Canada caused a major delay. Eclipse originally expected to begin delivery in 2004.
Eclipse is widely considered one of the leaders in development of so-called "very light jets." Since Eclipse first unveiled its plans in 2000, a handful of startups, as well as Cessna and Honda, have since developed similar aircraft, which cost far less than existing business jets and are designed to replace many propeller-powered aircraft currently in service.
Many, including Raburn, think the diminutive planes will revolutionize general aviation by making jet travel affordable to a whole new class of owners and pilots, as well as fostering "air-taxi" service to underutilized airports at prices competitive with those of airlines.
The company has raised hundreds of millions of dollars in investments, including $20 million from state permanent funds managed by the State Investment Council. It has orders for about 2,500 planes on the books, enough to keep it busy until late 2008.
In July, the FAA issued a provisional type certification to Eclipse, which meant that it still had a few tests to complete. About half a dozen FAA technicians have been on-site at Eclipse's Albuquerque plant for several months, Raburn said.
Passing the test
The final hurdle before Saturday's milestone was a flight-condition test that required Eclipse to fly a plane to South Dakota.
"Believe it or not, we had to go find some clouds," Raburn said by phone.
Eclipse's development has been closely watched by economic developers and government officials, who hope it will help foster additional aviation industry in New Mexico.
"Eclipse Aviation is now poised to make history and change aviation for years to come. I'd like to send my congratulations to everyone who had a hand in the development of this innovative aircraft," Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., said in a statement Saturday.
Earlier this month, Cessna received full type certification for its $2.5 million Citation Mustang six-seat jet, but the company does not expect to begin delivering planes until next year.
Currently based at the Albuquerque International Sunport, Eclipse eventually plans a plant at Double Eagle II airport on the West Side, where it could eventually employ up to 2,000. It currently employs about 850.
The company plans to build 30 to 40 planes by the end of 2006, and hundreds next year, Broom said. The price of the aircraft is based, in part, on high-volume, highly-automated production, and the firm expects to eventually build up to 1,000 jets annually.
The jet has a cruise speed of 370 knots, and can fly 1,125 nautical miles before refueling.
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