Cleared for Takeoff

Eclipse Aerospace is getting back into the business of manufacturing an upgraded version of its very light jet, the Eclipse 550, with the first deliveries planned for the second or third quarter of 2013.

“We are continuing to hire and invest in Albuquerque as we ramp towards production,” said company spokesman Chad Elkins.

Eclipse Aerospace currently has 120 employees based in Albuquerque, with more to be added as needed, he said. Albuquerque is now one of two operation centers for Eclipse in this country, which has its corporate offices in Charleston, S.C.

Wednesday’s announcement of a specific timeline to restart manufacturing followed the formal presentation by the Federal Aviation Administration of the production certificate for the Eclipse 550 to company officials at its facility here.

A production certificate allows a company to manufacture aircraft and parts in conformance with FAA-approved design, and is only granted when the FAA has determined that the organization’s manufacturing processes and quality systems comply with all federal regulations.

“Armed now with a fully certified aircraft, a certified production process, and an established supply chain, Eclipse is well positioned to reintroduce the Eclipse jet to new production,” said Cary Winter, senior vice president of Eclipse Aerospace, in a prepared statement.

The new model Eclipse 550 twin-engine jet is built on the original Eclipse 500 platform, but with the next evolution of aircraft systems for general aviation jets, the company said. Systems upgrades include auto-throttles, synthetic vision, enhanced vision, and a redundant flight management system.

The original Eclipse 500 jet was developed by the predecessor company, now-defunct Eclipse Aviation, during the decade of the 2000s. The company produced 260 jets before going bankrupt in late 2008.

A group of investors headed by Mason Holland Jr., now chairman and CEO of Eclipse Aerospace, bought the original company’s assets in 2009 through Bankruptcy Court in Delaware. The company has spent the last couple of years refurbishing jets made by its predecessor company.
— This article appeared on page B1 of the Albuquerque Journal