Raburn Energized, Candid At Oshkosh

By Rob Finfrock ANN Correspondent

"Okay, I'll say it... I told you so," said Eclipse Aviation CEO Vern Raburn at the start of Tuesday's press breakfast at AirVenture 2005. 

"When we first started talking about what has become known now as the VLJ, (very light jet), an awful lot of people in this industry-- an awful lot of folks in this room-- said 'yeah, maybe, nah, it won't, it can't, it hasn't happened.'  Now this has become a very vibrant market, with lots of competition."

There were many topics covered at the presentation, including news of twenty new aircraft orders, as well as a potentially major advancement in fire suppression technology, a new customer support program and announcement of a new Chief Operating Officer. There were also several points that Raburn wanted to make very clear.

"A lot of people want to blame the FAA for everything," said Raburn, defending the government's certification process guidelines. "That's b.s. I'm kinda sick and tired of hearing people blame the FAA." He added that the FAA has been cooperative with Eclipse throughout the certification process so far.

"[FAA Administrator] Blakey is not on the side of those who want to restrict access."

Raburn then highlighted some of the progress that Eclipse has made since the company's appearance at Oshkosh last year. There are now four aircraft in the FAA certification test fleet. Two of the test fleet, N504EA and N505EA, were displayed at the front of the tent, both having flown into Oshkosh this weekend.

The company has also secured insurance for its owners through AIG, something that naysayers said couldn't be done. "We all know what Cirrus customers are paying today in terms of new-aircraft premiums, said Raburn. "AIG has committed to say that no premiums are going to be above what you would pay to have a Baron, or a Pilatus, or another type of aircraft."

Raburn then mentioned Eclipse's agreement with United Airlines to provide training services for new Eclipse pilots. "United Airlines invented CRM," said Raburn. "They came to us just about this time last year and told us, 'you know, the way you guys think about training is the way we think about training.'" Eclipse announced in November that all pilot training would be conducted by United.

"If you pass the Eclipse type-rating course, you will get insurance on your airplane," added Raburn.

The subject then turned to the recent increase in price on new Eclipse Aircraft, now set at $1.295 million. Raburn was forthright. "We've always priced our aircraft based on cost. In the last year, Alcoa Aluminum has become a monopoly and the thing that happens with a monopoly is they screw their customers. We pay $4.50-$5.00 per pound of aluminum and get about fifty cents per pound back on recycling."  According to Raburn, each aircraft requires approximately 16,000 lbs. of aluminum, of which 700 pounds are actually used on the airplane.

"We screwed up," admitted Raburn, "and we told our customers, we're sorry, we screwed up."

Next was the introduction of Peg Billson as Chief Operating Officer for the company. Billson has nearly 20 years experience in the aerospace industry, including operations, finance, engineering and customer and product support. She will be responsible for all areas of operations at Eclipse.

"We are fortunate to welcome such a seasoned and respected aviation leader to Eclipse," said Raburn. Billson was most recently the vice president and general manager of Honeywell International Inc.'s Aircraft Frame Systems business.

Raburn announced what may be a major advancement in fire-suppression technology, the introduction of Eclipse's patented PhostrEx system. Instead of relying on halon, the new system uses a phosphorus compound that works in less than 1/10 of a second and becomes inert when it contacts moisture in the air.

"We attract a lot of whackos at Eclipse," laughed Raburn. "But [PhostrEx] inventor Peter Holland is a true inventor, complete genius."

According to Raburn, PhostrEx is poised to completely replace Halon 1301 and Halon 1211 as fire suppressants, as the new system is far less complex and weighs as little as two pounds, compared to 16-20 lbs. for a typical halon system. The system also offers a ten year maintenance interval.

"It's better than halon," Raburn said. He added that "halon will soon be outlawed." It does not comply with environmental laws such as the Montreal Protocol or the Clean Air Act. PhostrEx is fully compliant.

There was also news to report on the sales front, with the announcement that OurPlane, a small GA fractional company based in London, Ontario, Canada, has placed ten firm orders for new Eclipse planes, with options for ten more.    

Lastly, Raburn announced Eclipse's new Jet Complete program, an owner support service modeled on similar programs available to buyers of luxury automobiles such as Infiniti or Lexus.

Jet Complete will offer Eclipse owners access to programs similar to those usually reserved to Part 121 operations, such as factory flight support and dispatch services. With Jet Complete, the owner will be able to contact an Eclipse Flight Support (EFS) Briefer for flight planning, weather briefings, fuel stop planning and flight-related arrangements at the destination. Operators may also specify personal or corporate minimums, as well as other information that may assist the briefer to provide a safe, individualized briefing.

The program also offers OneCall AOG service, full maintenance support, and three recurrent pilot training classes over a three-year period. A customer may prepurchase coverage up to 1000 flight hours, with a cost of approximately $115 per flight hour, with complete engine hot section and overhaul events covered for another $94 per flight hour.

"On an airplane, the owner is forced to be a systems integrator," said Raburn. "This will be a truly new experience, that will change the definition of value." 

"The work really starts now," said Raburn. "But we've kept our promises."

FMI: www.eclipseaviation.com