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Copyright © 2012 Albuquerque Journal
Jet production has resumed in Albuquerque after a more than three-year hiatus as Eclipse Aerospace employees ceremoniously joined together the forward keel assembly to the fuselage of the first new Eclipse 550 very light jet.
“Life has begun anew for a fantastic product,” company Chairman and CEO Mason Holland told the Journal about the low-profile ceremony Friday. “We’re very excited. There will be a buzz in Albuquerque.”
Priced at $2,695,000, the Eclipse 550 is the next generation of the original twin-engine Eclipse 500 that was developed and built in Albuquerque during the 2000s by now-defunct Eclipse Aviation. Eclipse Aerospace acquired the assets of the original company in a bankruptcy auction in 2009.
The production ceremony culminated a two-day International Eclipse Dealer and Sales Conference attended by 50 to 60 people from 30 countries. Distributors attending the conference and Eclipse employees signed the fuselage of the aircraft with serial number 1001.
“Godspeed #1001 and God bless all that fly on you,” wrote production manager Jorge Duran. Other messages included “Here we go!” and “Thanks for letting us continue the story.”
“We are pleased that Eclipse Aerospace has chosen Albuquerque for the restart and reproduction of the Eclipse 550 Jet with final assembly happening right here in Albuquerque,” said Mayor Richard Berry, who was present at the production ceremony.
About 110 of the 120 Eclipse Aerospace employees in Albuquerque worked for the original company, which had approximately 2,250 workers at its peak in mid-2008. The original Eclipse 500, of which 260 were built between 2006 and 2009, was considered cutting edge in the “very light jet” subcategory of corporate jets.
“Our people are passionate about the product,” Holland said. “With all that enthusiasm, we’re taking a very measured approach (to production) in light of the difficult economy.”
The first Eclipse 550 is expected to take 12 months to complete as the production line is retooled and validated. The second new aircraft is expected to come off the production line about 60 days later, followed by the third aircraft about 30 days after the second one.
Declining to specify the number, Holland said the “modest” delivery of aircraft in 2013 is “virtually sold out.” Depending on demand, production is expected to reach a pace of 50 to 100 aircraft a year in 2014 and 2015.
