VLJ Visionary Vern Raburn Dead at 75

Entrepreneur and tech pioneer introduced the concept of the very light jet with Eclipse Aviation.

Meg Godlewski

Thursday, April 30, 2026 at 01:00 PM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

Vern Raburn, who was the mind behind friction-stir welding and the concept of the very light jet, is dead at 75. [Credit: Living Legends of Aviation]

Key Takeaways:

Vern Raburn, a prominent aviation entrepreneur and technology executive, passed away at 75.
He held significant leadership roles, including executive vice president at Microsoft and CEO and chairman of Symantec.
Raburn founded Eclipse Aviation, pioneering the "very light jet" (VLJ) concept with the Eclipse 500, and introduced innovative manufacturing techniques like friction-stir welding to aviation.
Despite Eclipse Aviation's financial challenges and eventual bankruptcy, his vision in aviation led to his recognition as a Living Legend of Aviation.

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Vern Raburn, the aviation entrepreneur and founder of Eclipse Aviation who also served as an executive vice president of Microsoft and CEO and chairman of Symantec, died Saturday in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He was 75.

Raburn, known for his keen sense of technology, enjoyed a career that included serving as executive vice president of Microsoft in the early days of the company. He would go on to become the CEO and later chairman of Symantec before joining the Paul Allen Group, where he handled investments for Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, an athletic and aviation enthusiast.