Eclipse loosens lips, reveals order tally
Eclipse Aviation’s order book has been the subject of much speculation ever since the Albuquerque, N.M.-based startup company announced it had begun taking

Eclipse Aviation’s order book has been the subject of much speculation ever since the Albuquerque, N.M.-based startup company announced it had begun taking a slew of orders for its Eclipse 500 minijet. It seems that the warm and fuzzy afterglow that followed the airplane’s first flight on August 26 has loosened the hitherto tight lips of company founder and CEO Vern Raburn.

At a press conference here yesterday, Raburn revealed that Eclipse holds firm orders for 1,357 aircraft and options on another 715, for a grand total of 2,072 aircraft–secured by nonrefundable deposits of more than $65 million, and representing the first 30 months of production.