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, an aviation entrepreneur and former executive at Microsoft and Symantec, died at 75, known for his keen sense of technology and passion for aviation.
He founded Eclipse Aviation in 1998, pioneering the "very light jet" (VLJ) concept with the goal of making point-to-point air travel more accessible and affordable.
Raburn's vision led to the development of the Eclipse 500, which earned the Collier Trophy, and he introduced innovative manufacturing techniques like friction-stir welding to aviation.
Despite its groundbreaking vision and initial success, Eclipse Aviation faced significant financial challenges, leading to its bankruptcy in 2008.

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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.