Eclipse: First Flight (Revolutionary Jet, First Flight!!)

Aero-News.net ^ | 08/26/2002 | Jim "Zoom" Campbell

[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.

[Postal Worker with a gun]

Check out a BD-5
It's what I fly, you can buy them as a kit or pre-made.

[Procyon]

This is the little mammal in the last days of the dinosaurs. The sky is essentially empty, the congestion is for landing slots at 29 major airports. The Eclipse (with a single pilot) will be like a air taxi flying direct from one small close-in field to a destination close-in field. Think about a businessman who decides on 24 hour notice to fly from A to B. He calls for an air cab and it dispatches one to him for about $600 to go 1,000 miles with no connections, no security checks, no baggage checks. Even cheaper if he shares the ride. This businessman is the gravy the big airlines need to pay for all of us in the back on discount tickets.

Boeing and its clients are very afraid.

[r9etb]

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.

As I see it, the flaw in the analysis here is that they're putting this out as a competitor to big jetliners. This is a serious mistake, not to mention some deliberate slight of hand probably designed to snare unwary investors.

The eye-catcher here is the word "jet," as if that makes this some magical sort of plane that opens new frontiers. It's nothing of the sort, however. The real competition for the Eclipse 500 is prop-driven airplanes. Note that the performance characteristics given for the Eclipse are pretty much identical to prop-driven planes like the Beechcraft 1900D, which is currently flown by a lot of airlines -- which have three times the seating capacity and (I'm guessing) similar operating costs.

The "10,000 airports" claim is a canard: just because Eclipse is a jet doesn't make this a new market. If there were a profitable market for this sort of service, there would already be prop-driven planes serving it. (And I believe that the market for charter flights does indeed cover the niche.)

Don't get me wrong: this plane is a pretty neat gizmo. But it's not something that's opening up a virgin frontier. This release is intended for cash-cows.

[Ditto]

Boeing and its clients are very afraid.

I agree.

[Fiddlstix]

Bump

[Eala]

Sounds like a lot of federalized security screeners to me!

Actually you might be able to eliminate, or at least reduce, the screening. The planes are small so they don't have the destructive capability of the jumbo jets if hijacked and crashed. And with only a few passengers the planes aren't a big target for terrorists. Yes, Pali-style suicide bombers could keep some level of security in place, but the inanity of prohibiting nail clippers would be past.

[r9etb]

Boeing and its clients are very afraid.

I doubt it. As mentioned above, Eclipse is not (or shouldn't be)competing with Boeing, but with Beechcraft and all of those other smaller planes that airlines already fly the very routes this plane is designed to serve.

[Willie Green]

We have just received word that the Eclipse 500 micro-jet has made its first flight.

[isthisnickcool]

Cool. And cheap compared to land darts (Lear Jets).

I hope they pull this off. I want one. Anyone wanna go for a ride?

[July 4th]

A fine example of American ingenuity. The engine is really cool too - hats off to the design guys at Williams.

[connectthedots]

This will drive down the costs for business travelers, which is where the majors get their profits.

[TomB]

One of the most interesting ideas I've seen recently is Skyjet. It takes private and corporate jets that are now empty after, say, taking a group from New York to Miami, on the return trip, and matches then up with people who want to go to NY. It is essentially a reservation system for private jets.

I've heard that you can actually get rates cheaper than commercial, if you are flexible (and lucky). But many more jets need to be put in the system before the rates really fall.

If you go to the website you can try booking a reservation yourself and see what it costs.

[Hostage]

I agree, this is really sweet. But I have to play devil's advocate here.

What's to prevent a group of jihad psychos from taking off in one of these?

I think any Eclipse airline is still going to have to screen passengers. Worse yet there is no cabin door to block access to pilot seats.

Believe me I want the convenience as badly as anybody, and I certainly don't want my privacy invaded everytime I decide to fly. As a matter of fact, I've been thinking of getting a pilot license myself just to avoid the ordeal at airports. Wish I could afford one of these, or maybe take a partnership in one?

[js1138]

Do the math...

Here's my math. The Eclipse costs 1 million vs 25 million. It carries 5 passengers vs 150. To me, that means 1/30 the passengers for 1/25 the cost. Fuel and such additional.

The main savings is in time not wasted at major airports, and time not wasted commuting to major airports, and time not wasted at central hubs. Basically an affordable, long range air taxi.

Looks much cheaper than MagLev and other rail options, plus, one of these things would have trouble taking out a McDonalds if used as a flying bomb.

[SamAdams76]

This six-seater that flys for 56 cents a mile will revolutionize air travel. Consider the following scenario:

There is a small airport in Bedford, MA which is about 15 minutes from where I live and I often travel to Edison, NJ on business, which is also by a small airport about 15 minutes away. It normally takes me close to five hours to drive there and I have to deal with NYC traffic.

These two points are 210 miles apart as the crow flies. At 56 cents a mile, the cost of the trip is $117. Divide that by six passengers and the cost drops under $20 per person. Not bad for what used to be a four or five hour drive! Not to mention the fact that I can now get from my house to my company's office in Edison, NJ in just over an hour (assuming a 40 minute flight time at about 400mph)!

Expect to see thousands of these aircraft flooding our skies and a lot less 737s. Hopefully these planes are quietier!

[taildragger]

A BD-5, My hats of to you Sir. What Mods? I hear that Harry Ribblett designed a new center-section airfoil that really changed the way your Bird flies. Do you have any of Seth Anderson's Mods?

[js1138]

There is not much security in the private aviation world. I know a guy who rented a private plane last November. He wanted to pick it up on a Friday after work. The Owner said he wouldn't be there, but not to worry, he'd leave the keys in the ignition.

[taildragger]

"Believe me I want the convenience as badly as anybody, and I certainly don't want my privacy invaded everytime I decide to fly. As a matter of fact, I've been thinking of getting a pilot license myself just to avoid the ordeal at airports. Wish I could afford one of these, or maybe take a partnership in one?"

Hostage, you are there target market. One of there goals is to have let say 4 pilots co-buy one and sorta time-share it. At 200K apiece, it look like a steal compared to a brand new Cessna 172. You hit the nail on the head.

[Ditto]

Note that the performance characteristics given for the Eclipse are pretty much identical to prop-driven planes like the Beechcraft 1900D, which is currently flown by a lot of airlines -- which have three times the seating capacity and (I'm guessing) similar operating costs.

Wrong. Very low operating costs.

From the article:

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.

It has significantly lower Operating Costs than a piston engine and even lower then a conventional jet engine. The engines are not like conventional jet engines. They are derived from cruise missile technology. It's low purchase price and operating cost put it in the range to serve as a point-to-point air taxi as opposed to the scheduled service that the Beachcraft is locked into. It puts it in range of thousands of small and mid-sized corporations who currently spend bundles to have their key people spending half of their lives stuck in hub airport hell. It also opens up an entirely new jet taxi industry for both business and vacation travel. Imagine you and 3 of your buddies want to spend a few days golfing at some resort 500 miles away. You can afford to charter this bird rather than spending half your vacation getting there and getting back either driving or doing the hub and spoke madness.

[TomB]

What's to prevent a group of jihad psychos from taking off in one of these?

What's to stop a group of jihad psychos from taking off in ANY private jet?

What makes this one so special?