Eclipse Aviation to produce new model jet from 2013
12 Oct 2011
Eclipse Aerospace president and CEO, Mason Holland, has said the company will commence production of the Eclipse Very Light Jet. Eclipse Aviation Corp, which produced the Eclipse 500 jet in Albuquerque, New Mexico, was bought out of bankruptcy by Eclipse Aerospace in August 2009.
So far the new company has stayed out of production, brokering sales for existing Eclipse jets and providing services on existing aircraft.
Holland announced at the 2011 National Business Aviation Association conference in Las Vegas, Nev, that it has begun taking orders for an upgraded version of the jet, called the Eclipse 550. First deliveries of the new jets are slated for 2013, and they will sell for $2.7 million each.
The new model will have improved avionics and other modifications.
New plans include production of between 50 and 100 planes a year and doubling of Eclipse work force in Albuquerque from 150 to 300 employees by the end of 2012.
Eclipse's partnership with Connecticut-based Sikorsky Aircraft Corp, announced last year, is helping the company to re-start production. Sikorsky has said it might produce the jet's basic airframes at a plant in Poland for final assembly in Albuquerque, though details are yet to be finalized.
Given that the Eclipse jet already has Federal Aviation Administration type certification, production can start immediately, Holland said.
Output will be based on demand.
