Posted on 08/26/2002 11:23:02 AM PDT by taildragger
We have just received word that the Eclipse 500 micro-jet has made its first flight.
The world's newest jet was just taxiing back to the hangar, as we spoke to Eclipse spokeswoman Cory Canada, who said that the test pilot, Bill Bubb, wasn't out of the plane yet; and, by the way, how did we know? [Thank you, News-Spy! --ed.]
Details of the (roughly) 45-minute Monday morning flight are sketchy; we have calls in to the company, and expect to be updating this spot throughout the day. Stay tuned!
Additional Details... Well after we posted the first announcement of the flight, we received the following official statement. Please note that we are working up several other details and stories for you all for this evening.
"Eclipse Aviation Corporation today announced the successful first flight of its flagship aircraft, the next-generation Eclipse 500 jet. Piloted by Bill Bubb, Eclipse Aviation's chief test pilot, the Eclipse 500 jet took to the air at 9:18 a.m. MST, flying as planned for approximately 60 minutes.
'I applaud the Eclipse team, our investors, suppliers and partners for their steadfast dedication to realizing our dream of changing the way people travel,' said Vern Raburn, president and CEO of Eclipse Aviation. 'What we accomplished today is now part of aviation history. Today we stand together, more certain than ever that the Eclipse 500 will forever change the landscape of transportation.'
The Eclipse 500 offers performance characteristics and economics that are enabling the creation of alternatives to today's commercial air travel system. The Eclipse 500 will allow travelers to fly point-to-point to more than 10,000 airports in the U.S. alone, ushering in an age where point-to-point private jet travel will be available to everyone at affordable prices. This will be a dramatic departure from today's commercial airline system, which forces 70 percent of all air travelers to pass through 29 increasingly crowded "hub" airports.
Flight-testing was conducted in a designated test zone located south of Albuquerque, New Mexico.
The first test flight was designed to investigate basic maneuverability and allow for initial aircraft systems checking. The first tests occurred at 9,000 feet (2,743.2 m) where the flight crew successfully evaluated engine handling, aircraft stability and control, general flying qualities and systems performance.
The first flight of the Eclipse 500 marks the start of a 16-month testing program, involving eight test airframes. The flight-test program will culminate with FAA certification, scheduled to occur in December 2003.
'We completed all test conditions as planned and were very pleased with the results,' said Bubb. 'The Eclipse team did an excellent job of building the aircraft. The quality is remarkable and the workmanship is outstanding.'
The Eclipse 500 is a six-person jet aircraft that sells for $837,500 (in June 2000 dollars). At this price, it costs approximately a quarter of today's small jet aircraft and will be significantly safer, easier and less expensive to fly. The Eclipse 500 flies 355 knots and can travel 1,300 nautical miles (about the distance between Boston and Miami) at a cost of approximately 56 cents a mile to operate. First customer deliveries of the Eclipse 500 are scheduled to occur in January 2004.
Someone had better clear this with the FAA. Can their tube laden equipment keep the skies safe?
Sounds like a lot of federalized security screeners to me!
Extra big Vern Rayburn BUMP!
That's bad news for the major carriers.
What's all the hubub..bub?
Let's do a quick comparasion of the numbers, shall we? Most flights are around 1000 miles, on average. This plane holds what, seven or eight passengers? And it costs $900k. A commercial jet holds something like 150 passengers and costs what, $25 million a pop? Do the math. The Eclipse costs half as much to move the same number of people around. Of course, you have the cost of extra pilots, but you also have the convenience of being able to use small airports.
All in all I think these guys are onto something. I wish them great success in their business.
The short answer is yes --- there is a lot of room up there. The FAA has already gone "point-to-point" for most flights rather then the old stacking along the same air routes. The danger is conjestion that builds up with holding patterns at the big hub airports.
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