Eclipse Aviation tells ANN that they have successfully completed Eclipse 500 airframe static testing. The achievement of this major FAA milestone continues the Eclipse 500's aggressive advancement towards certification in March 2006. The FAA has also cleared the Eclipse 500 to an initial 10,000 hour lifetime, which is significantly higher than typically approved by the FAA.

Static testing, which rigorously tests airframe loads to the design maximum and could, in some instances, test to failure, was conducted throughout the Eclipse 500 airframe. Testing included the wings, fuselage and flight control systems. All tests were completed successfully without failure, eliminating the need for any redesign or re-testing.

"The fact that the Eclipse 500 static airframe accomplished all test points on the first pass with no failures reflects our commitment to design and build a jet that that will meet the high utilization demands of the air taxi and corporate aviation segments," said Eclipse Aviation vice president of Engineering Ken Harness.

"We are also pleased that, based on our extensive work with the FAA, the Eclipse 500 has been approved for an initial 10,000 hour lifetime at type certification. The designed fatigue life for the Eclipse 500 is 20,000 hours, which will be demonstrated through testing over the next two years."

In static testing, a distributed load is applied to a complete airframe to validate that the aircraft meets the FAA requirements for structural integrity. Eclipse 500 static tests included limit loads, which are the highest loads the aircraft would ever expect to experience, as well as ultimate loads, which represent 1.5 times the limit loads. The FAA-approved Eclipse 500 static test plan consisted of 14 airframe limit load cases and 5 ultimate load cases. The static test airframe proved that the Eclipse 500 will not experience any detrimental permanent deformation while sustaining limit or ultimate loads. In addition to these 19 static airframe tests, Eclipse also completed 3 additional FAA tests to the flight control systems.

"To pass these tests on the first shot while bringing friction stir welding to aircraft primary structures for the first time demonstrates the talent and hard work of the entire Eclipse team," said John McCoury, Eclipse's director of Structural Analyses and Materials. "I am so proud of the work that each of our structures engineers has contributed to the Eclipse 500 program. Our static testing success is a testimony to all of the time and labor of analyses, test and design accomplished by this team. Southwest Research Institute has also provided excellent test coverage and a state of the art test system."

Next spring, another test airframe will undergo fatigue testing to validate structural continued airworthiness. The FAA has granted an initial 10,000 hours of operations limit at type certification early next year. The extension beyond 10,000 hours will be based on the results of fatigue testing and is expected to be more than 20,000 hours. The initial 10,000 hours approved by the FAA is contingent on the remaining reports and testing to be submitted by Eclipse for type certification.

Eclipse 500 static testing was accomplished at Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, Texas. Southwest Research, under contract to Eclipse Aviation, was tasked to design and assemble the static test load frame and integrate the load control and data acquisition system.

FMI: www.eclipseaviation.com