Eclipse announces yet another delay?

[AerroMatt]

http://www.ainalerts.com/ainalerts/alerts/022707.html

Eclipse’s Relationship with Avidyne Terminated

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]VLJ developer Eclipse Aviation announced last week that its relationship with avionics supplier Avidyne has ended. Eclipse plans to announce shortly which companies will supply components for the Model 500’s Avio integrated avionics system. AIN has been told by a source close to the process that Honeywell will be sharing the job with another specialist, thought to be Innovative Solutions & Support (IS&S).

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This was announced a week ago, and it has also been reported in AOPA's website. This explains why the media hounds at Eclipse haven't been making any press releases touting their horns re: simulators. They haven't bothered putting a simulator together since they don't yet have an avionics panel.

How many more delays are going to happen to the little "Wonder Jet"? Also, how badly will this affect DayJet and the others since it seems they will be twisting in the wind until Eclipse can finally begin production?

What are the odds being given on whether Eclipse will ever actually enter production? I'm beginning to wonder about their viability. Does anyone remember Jim Bede?

 

[deadstick]

http://eclipseaviationcritic.blogspot.com/

You have to check this out.

The part I like is that EA planned (before) to deliver 4-500 aircraft, but there were only 200 engines being made. So, 400 or so Eclipe gliders would require a tow to FL350? It'll make 370 KTAS...in a 20 deg nose dive:laugh:

 

[AerroMatt]

This latest on the blogger site is awful stuff:

No DME, hence no RVSM. What happend to GPS in lieu of DME?

No TCAS yet!

No TAWS yet!

Autopilot has limited functionality.

No FIKI. What is that???

No Standby Attitude Indicator. How did they certify for IFR without one?

This one confuses me: In a descent they (The FSB) noted that airspeed cannot be maintained unless partial power is applied.

And to think I had such hopes for them when they started out years ago...

 

[deadstick]

No FIKI. What is that???

Flight Into Known Icing...

 

[deadstick]

Hot off the presses: the proverbial rats are jumping ship!!

United Airlines Drops Eclipse Training Program
Eclipse Aviation and United Airlines have “mutually agreed to terminate their pilot training program,” according to Michelle Burns, manager of training development for United’s flight training division. In 2004 Eclipse and United announced that the airline’s training division would provide screening for Eclipse pilots and type rating training. According to Burns, “United has agreed to provide certain services while Eclipse transitions to a new provider.” Burns declined to elaborate on the nature of those “certain services” or why the two companies parted ways. Eclipse has not released information on a new training provider, but confirmed to AIN that Opinicus of Lutz, Fla., is still building the Eclipse 500 simulator and that it will be available in the coming months. Alteon Training, which was to provide instructors to United for the Eclipse program, told AIN last week that it still had an agreement to provide instructors to United, but was unavailable to comment on those plans at press time. A FlightSafety International official told AIN recently that the company has no interest in providing training for very light jets such as the Eclipse 500. The New York-based company is the authorized training provider for the Citation Mustang, which Cessna refers to as its entry-level jet[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif].[/FONT][FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][/FONT]

 

[Rerouted]

Assuming they ever do get into the sky in numbers, I just can't stop wondering where in the airspace system they are going to fit? Traffic along the East Coast is tight as it is, all we need are thousands of those flying suppositories added to the mix. Add to that the fact that I'm betting one or two will be flown by guys trading up from their Cirrus's and the likes. I just can't help thinking we'll be reading about a lot of accidents involving those planes.

RR

 

[deadstick]

I just can't stop wondering where in the airspace system they are going to fit? Traffic along the East Coast is tight as it is

In it's current configuration, they'll be at 3500, 8500, 11500,...all the way up to 17500. I wonder, how the fuel burn is at those altitudes?:laugh:

 

[Andrew_VT]

Assuming they ever do get into the sky in numbers, I just can't stop wondering where in the airspace system they are going to fit? Traffic along the East Coast is tight as it is, all we need are thousands of those flying suppositories added to the mix. Add to that the fact that I'm betting one or two will be flown by guys trading up from their Cirrus's and the likes. I just can't help thinking we'll be reading about a lot of accidents involving those planes.

RR

This is the whole problem with E-clips. They need to hype huge production numbers to be able to achive a lower cost than the competitors (and re-coup the almost 1 billion dollars spend so far with no deliveries). This hype about their orderbook (supposedly 2400 at one point...yeah right) let the FAA make the case that the current airspace system will need to be overhauled to facilitate all these new planes....and thus we need USER FEES to pay for it!!

Eclipse is a drain on the rest of the aviation industry IMO. Oh, and thats an incredible blog... I knew about the Avidyne and United problems a loong time ago. Same with the myriad of other problems...more proper question seems to be "what arn't they having a problem with?"

 

[AerroMatt]

...more proper question seems to be "what arn't they having a problem with?"

Depositors demanding their money back?

 

[johnsonrod]

Should have gone with Garmin early in the process... Big mistake to develop the Avio with Avidyne... The G1000 would have been easy to use and it is quite familiar for hundreds of Cessna pilots already - easy converts...

I am sure the guys at Dayjet are none too pleased...