Aircraft
Eclipse and Williams part ways; new engine selection imminent
The termination of the agreement between Eclipse Aviation and Williams International, announced the day before Thanksgiving, is seen as a major setback for

The termination of the agreement between Eclipse Aviation and Williams International, announced the day before Thanksgiving, is seen as a major setback for the Eclipse 500 very light jet program by many observers– particularly (and predictably) by the battalions of skeptics who have questioned the viability of the program since it was revealed in March 2000.

Eclipse CEO Vern Raburn, acknowledging that “we bet the company on the [Williams] EJ22” turbofan, was more talkative than the traditionally taciturn Dr. Sam Williams, who would not elaborate beyond a terse joint statement. On Friday the 13th (of December) the two companies announced they had reached a settlement agreement, but no details were disclosed.

In this article