Eclipse Aviation expected to have delivered its first Eclipse 500 very light jet by the time this issue was printed, according to Eclipse president and CEO Vern Raburn. The Model 500 received full FAA type certification on September 30, although flight-into-known-icing approval remains pending and some avionics functionality will not be available until next year. Eclipse expects to deliver four to six airplanes by the end of this month, Raburn told AIN, adding that delivery delays were due to an especially stringent inspection process associated with the company’s attempt to obtain a production certificate by the end of this year.
As the first delivery to buyer David Crowe neared, Eclipse revealed some problems with the airplane, although the company did not expect these issues to hamper initial deliveries. Eclipse described the problems in a new document called a Customer Technical Communication. “This is not an Eclipse Aviation service bulletin,” Eclipse pointed out in bold lettering at the end of each of these documents.
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