New Eclipse

Isabel Goyer

Wednesday, February 16, 2011 at 10:47 PM ET

Verified

Eclipse EA500 [Credit: Robert Goyer]

Key Takeaways:

The original Eclipse 500 project was a "spectacular" $1 billion failure, plagued by unrealistic production and performance goals, design challenges, and an unsustainable business model, despite initial immense hype.
The company was resurrected as Eclipse Aerospace, which acquired the assets, focused on bringing existing aircraft to modern standards, achieved financial stability, and secured a partnership with Sikorsky.
Despite its troubled past, the EA500 is presented as a remarkable engineering achievement, offering high-performance jet capabilities (e.g., 370 knots, 41,000 feet) for 5-6 passengers at notably lower operating costs than other jets, now sold as fully refurbished models.

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My first takeoff out of Albuquerque, New Mexico, in the EA500 was anything but an anticlimax. We’d just finished up our pre-takeoff check and Jerry Chambers, Eclipse Aerospace’s chief pilot, was giving me some last-minute advice on the takeoff when the tower came with a takeoff clearance, “No delay for landing 737 traffic, three-mile final.”

So without delay, I added a burst of power, turned the corner and rolled in the power. We accelerated smartly, and the wide runway at ABQ whizzed by beside us. I smiled and pulled back on the sidestick to rotate. We were flying.