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Eclipse Aviation, manufacturer of the world's first very light jet (VLJ), returns to Oshkosh, WI with a full FAA Type certificate and production certificate in hand. The company is delivering Eclipse 500s and has opened two Eclipse Service Centers (ESCs). 

Seven years ago Eclipse Aviation made its first appearance at AirVenture Oshkosh proclaiming its "New Way to Fly" campaign. At that time, Eclipse's president and CEO Vern Raburn was convinced that advances in turbine engines, digital technology, high-volume manufacturing and high-technology business practices could be used to create a whole new breed of aircraft and company. And now the dream of Eclipse Aviation and the Eclipse 500 is a reality.

Eclipse Aviation delivered its first customer aircraft on December 31, 2006. By the end of the second quarter this year, Eclipse had certified a total of 31 Eclipse 500s and delivered 22 to customers. As Oshkosh kicks off, the company's state-of-the-art, high-volume production system is humming with activity as Eclipse assembles customer aircraft at the company's Albuquerque, NM headquarters.

The company has opened an Eclipse Service Center (ESC) in Albuquerque as well as Gainesville, FL, and has plans to open additional ESCs in Albany, NY and Van Nuys, CA in the coming months. Eclipse currently has more than 1,300 employees, nearly 2,700 orders for the Eclipse 500 and over 400,000 square feet of facilities available to ramp production up to four jets per day.

Eclipse At Oshkosh

This is the eighth appearance for Eclipse at AirVenture.  Eclipse will exhibit at the same location as last year - just Southwest of AeroShell Square.

• July 23: Press Breakfast @ Eclipse Tent (7:30 a.m. start)
• July 23: Beach Boys Concert @ AeroShell Square (5:30 p.m. on)
  o Sponsored by Eclipse Aviation, Ford Motor Company and Innovative Solutions and Support, Inc. (IS&S)
• July 23-29: Fly-In Theatre @ Camp Scholler (8:30 p.m. on)
• • Vern Raburn to present Apollo 13 with Jim Lovell on July 27
  • Sponsored by Eclipse Aviation and Ford Motor Company
• July 25: Press Breakfast @ the Eclipse Tent VIP area (8:00 - 9:00 a.m.)
• July 27: Eclipse 500 presentation by Vern Raburn @ AirVenture Forums (11:30 - 12:45 p.m.)
• • Eclipse 500: The World's First Very Light Jet

Did-You-Know?

• Did you know…Since delivering its first aircraft on December 31, 2006, Eclipse Aviation had certified a total of 31 Eclipse 500s and delivered 22 to customers by the end of the second quarter.
• Did you know…Eclipse Service Centers (ESCs) are now operating in Albuquerque, NM and Gainesville, FL.  In the coming months, Eclipse plans to open ESCs in Albany, NY and Van Nuys, CA.
• Did you know… Eclipse Aviation has grown to more than 1,300 employees and plans to add approximately 300 more jobs by the end of this year, and 500 next year.
• Did you know… Currently the Eclipse 500 order book consists of nearly 2,700 aircraft secured with deposits.

• Did you know… Eclipse Aviation has created the least expensive jet ever.  At only $1.52 million, the Eclipse 500 costs half that of today's small jet aircraft.
• Did you know… The Eclipse 500 is the quietest jet ever and is very environmentally friendly.  According to noise testing the Eclipse 500 significantly exceeds the stringent stage 4 sound requirements. The PW610F engine has also been tested to have a smoke number (SN) of less than five, while the regulatory limit for engine smoke emissions is a SN of 50.
• Did you know… Eclipse introduced the PhostrEx™ fire suppression system, another major innovation for the Eclipse 500, during AirVenture 2005.
• Did you know… Eclipse is the first manufacturer to use friction stir welding to assemble primary aircraft structures.  The first ever public demonstration of friction stir welding was at AirVenture 2001.
• Did you know… The Eclipse 500 will have the most advanced customer care and training program ever created in general aviation.
• Did you know… Eclipse Aviation has 440,000 square feet of facilities in place with the ability to ramp up production to four Eclipse 500s a day.
• Did you know… Eclipse Aviation has more than $600 million of private equity and debt funding. 

• Did you know… The Eclipse 500 was introduced at AirVenture in 2000 proclaiming its "New Way to Fly" campaign. Eclipse Aviation sees AirVenture as the breeding ground for technological innovation. 
• Did you know… Three executive team members at Eclipse Aviation are long time EAA board members; Vern Raburn, Jack Harrington, and Don Taylor.

Be sure to stop in and see Eclipse at their display in AeroShell Square!

FMI: www.eclipseaviation.com