When Eclipse Aviation founder and CEO Vern Raburn earlier this year declared that a retooled avionics system for the Eclipse 500 very light jet would be tested and certified within four months, many observers were skeptical. More telling, however, was the revelation that Eclipse’s hand-picked supplier team also had doubts about the accelerated timetable. Outlined on a conference call with reporters and suppliers on March 5, the certification program timeline was described as concluding in June. But in reality, by the middle of June the flight-test portion of the program was barely getting started.
Fast-forward five months and, predictably, Eclipse now says development of the Avio NG (next generation) avionics system has fallen behind schedule. But the company still insists it can meet a revised certification target date of late next month. Flight testing is under way aboard two airplanes, the company said, and results have been positive. Although suppliers are towing the company line, some executives said privately that a further delay remains a possibility, with one senior official citing a certification date of October or November as a possibility.
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