Despite a halt in production of nearly four years and the bankruptcy of its original developer, the fleet of Eclipse very light jets could soon grow again after Eclipse Aerospace was awarded a production certificate from the FAA. Eclipse Aviation achieved initial certification for the diminutive twinjet in September 2006, and over the next 17 months it built some 260 Eclipse 500s before being forced into bankruptcy at the start of the economic downturn in 2008. Eclipse Aerospace was formed by a group of investors seeking initially to ensure support for the fleet, and to complete scheduled upgrades of the in-service aircraft. The company acquired the assets of the defunct Eclipse Aviation, and stated that an eventual goal was to restart the production line for an upgraded Eclipse 550, which is based on the same airframe but features improved avionics, autothrottles, synthetic vision and a redundant flight management system.
The production approval was granted after the FAA determined that the company’s manufacturing processes and quality systems meet all federal regulations. “Armed now with a fully certified aircraft, a certified production process and an established supply chain, Eclipse is well qualified to re-introduce the Eclipse Jet to new production,” said company senior vice president Cary Winter.
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