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Email: office@businessaviation.com
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Fax: +49 7051 967163
Email: office@businessaviation.com
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ECLIPSE 500
Eclipse 500: The Revolutionary That Revolutionized Too Fast
The $1 Million Jet That Wasn't
The story of the Eclipse 500 is business aviation's Icarus myth. In 2002, Vern Raburn promised a jet for under $1 million that would be built faster than Detroit builds minivans. The industry laughed, then stopped laughing when Bill Gates invested and 2,500 deposits poured in.
The Eclipse 500 was revolutionary: the first Very Light Jet (VLJ), the first general aviation jet certified for single-pilot operation, the first to ditch the toilet to save weight and cost. It won the Collier Trophy in 2006 — the aviation industry's highest honor.
Then reality arrived...
The Eclipse 500 was revolutionary: the first Very Light Jet (VLJ), the first general aviation jet certified for single-pilot operation, the first to ditch the toilet to save weight and cost. It won the Collier Trophy in 2006 — the aviation industry's highest honor.
Then reality arrived...
...The Engine That Broke the Dream
Williams International promised an engine that would deliver on Eclipse's ambitious performance targets. They couldn't. Eclipse was forced to substitute the Pratt & Whitney Canada PW610F, adding weight, complexity, and cost.
The base price climbed from $837,000 to $2.15 million. Delivery delays stretched to years. The weight gain erased performance margins. And then, the final blow: DayJet, Eclipse's largest customer with 1,400 aircraft on order, collapsed in the 2008 financial crisis.
On November 25, 2008, Eclipse Aviation filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. By February 2009, it was Chapter 7 liquidation. Just 260 aircraft delivered. A revolution halted mid-sentence.
The base price climbed from $837,000 to $2.15 million. Delivery delays stretched to years. The weight gain erased performance margins. And then, the final blow: DayJet, Eclipse's largest customer with 1,400 aircraft on order, collapsed in the 2008 financial crisis.
On November 25, 2008, Eclipse Aviation filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. By February 2009, it was Chapter 7 liquidation. Just 260 aircraft delivered. A revolution halted mid-sentence.
The Aircraft That Survived Its Company
Yet the Eclipse 500 didn't disappear. In 2009, Eclipse Aerospace acquired the assets for $40 million and resumed limited production as the Eclipse 550. The fleet kept flying. Today, AML Global Eclipse maintains the aircraft, and the 260 delivered units continue to serve owner-operators who value their efficiency and simplicity.
Specifications that Outlasted the Company
• Range: 2,084 km (1,125 nm)
• Speed: 685 km/h — fast for the class
• Fuel burn: 59 - 68 gallons/hour — exceptionally efficient
• Capacity: 4 – 6 passengers (though six means someone sits in the cockpit)
• Speed: 685 km/h — fast for the class
• Fuel burn: 59 - 68 gallons/hour — exceptionally efficient
• Capacity: 4 – 6 passengers (though six means someone sits in the cockpit)
The Market Today
Pre - owned Eclipse 500 aircraft trade in the $400,000 – $800,000 range — fractional ownership of a jet for the price of a nice turboprop.
The Verdict
The Gulfstream G150 is the aircraft that proved collaboration works. Israeli engineering and American marketing created a mid-size jet that outperformed expectations.
For the buyer seeking a G150, you're acquiring the most affordable Gulfstream and one of the most capable mid-size jets ever built.
For the buyer seeking a G150, you're acquiring the most affordable Gulfstream and one of the most capable mid-size jets ever built.
ECLIPSE 500 OVERVIEW
ECLIPSE 500 ROUTE PERFOMANCE