Aircraft
Eclipse auctions first very light jet
Albuquerque-based very light jet maker Eclipse Aviation delivered on a plan devised seven years ago when the company put one of its early production aircra

Albuquerque-based very light jet maker Eclipse Aviation delivered on a plan devised seven years ago when the company put one of its early production aircraft on the auction block last month.

Eclipse made S/N 038 the first to be earmarked for sale to the highest bidder. The auction, held July 30 to August 10, was open only to members of the company’s Bidders’ Club, which was set up in 2000 for potential customers who placed a $5,000 refundable deposit for the chance to bid on immediate-delivery Eclipse 500s. People who made deposits have been accruing “Eclipse Dollars”– to be deducted from the amount of their winning bid–at the rate of $1,000 per month.