Well, made a big mistake and looked at Eclipses for sale. Seems there are two at my home airport that Plane Smart is offering partnerships in. Better stay off Controller for awhile (g)

http://www.controller.com/listingsdetai ... 291125.htm

Best,

Dave

It would be fun to try and ride that pony, even for a little while.

Show me one BTer who can't make that same statement...

Thanks Don. Every once in a while, I get jetitice (g).
I think impracticality, payload, cost, insurance doesn't matter if I can do what Ted is doing. Think I'll have a drink and take that site off my bookmark list!

Best,

Dave

I would recommend joining their owners group if seriously interested. We all know where infatuation leads...

My wife always says...thoughts become words and words become deeds! I don't think she was referring to airplanes but it fits pretty good.

Dave,

I don't know if it helps or not but there is no way you can make your family trips in an Eclipse.

That is Tim Capelli's plane. Tim is a stand-up guy and his Eclipse has the coolest paint job of the fleet (for now )

I have put over 200 hours on the Eclipse in the last 10 months and am absolutely convinced it is the best personal airplane if you only need to carry 4 total and their bags 1000nm. The plane is extremely comfortable for 4 people and bags. At FL400 and 410 you are well above almost all the weather. I have flown in one day from Maine to Reykjavik and was not even fatigued (Breakfast in Maine and sunset dinner in Reykjavik). I am really happy I didn't listen to all of the 'experts' willing to offer their opinions. You know, the guys who think they know it all, but have not owned, operated, flown, ridden in, or even sat inside of an Eclipse, yet can tell you how terrible the planes are ... Be careful, there are quite a few of them among us.

I liked this plane I have been flying so much that I just bought an 'upgraded' one. FIKI, traffic, wx radar, a real autopilot, etc. are welcomed additions, although it has been a lot of fun hand flying the original bird on raw data for the past 10 months/200+ hours/60,000+ NMs. I will also be looking for partners, but most likely in the Houston area.

Expect an HONEST 340 knots on ~55 GPH in quiet, air conditioned, pressurized comfort. Plus, the thing is so much fun to fly!

A few months ago my girlfriend and I took some friends of ours to Martha's Vineyard for the weekend. She has some sort of travel blog and made this video. I am linking it up for you to watch because there is a clip where she is speaking in the same voice she would use sitting in a quiet room, and the iPhone camera picks it up just fine. You will really appreciate how quiet and smooth this plane is. I forget how pleasant it is, until I climb out of my business partner's King Air with a headache after a 5 hour hop- which would be 3 in the Eclipse

[youtube]http://youtu.be/U3E1G9ZsI-Y[/youtube]

I would agree with Theodore, the eclipse is the best option out there if you only need to carry 4. I ultimately needed to be able to carry 6, so it didn't work for me. I personally know several who are flying it and love it. I would consider eclipse owners second only to beech owners in terms of loyalty to the brand, defense of it, etc. Once you sip the kool-aid, I don't think you can pass on it.

Also, don't let the cockpit entry scare you. Once you get into it, it is very roomy.

-jason

Here are the issues I have about the Eclipse:
-- Repair headaches. You have to get almost everything direct from the company and there is a hefty markup. Currently I think that markup is being used to subsidize restarting production. This will inflate my repair costs; probably above what I can comfortably budget.
-- The initial cost. I would want one which has all the upgrades. I cannot afford it.
-- I eventually want to spend a lot of time traveling internationally. By making me get the parts from Eclipse when traveling, if I am AOG this will add a lot of time and expense.
-- UL to low. I want more fuel and range.

Tim

I'm pretty sure I flew Tim's plane about a year and a half ago. He had it with another group that was trying to manage it. I didn't like the third party management deal. It certainly wouldn't fit my family trips, but I still make several trips a year by myself or with one or two other folks. Yea, the cost is kind of crazy for me. Of course, I only have one plane now and we all know it takes two to three to meet all mission requirements (g).
I may call Tim again sometime.

Thanks Tony and those pointing out why it won't work (g). Was getting the shakes last night and need a support group on occasion!

Best,

Dave

As I recall, Deakin has some experience with those.

Dan

Not really any repair headaches. Most things come from Eclipse, but it is not that bad. The maintenance is very reasonable. I just did a 24 month inspection a few months ago and it was less than a normal annual inspection for a 340/400 series Cessna. Divide that by half since it is a 2 year inspection. The only thing required annually is the engine inspection which is basically a visual with a fuel filter change, maybe an oil change. Parts for the plane can be stupid expensive, but so far it has been extremely reliable. I have had to reseal one leaky strut, and I was able to fly the airplane like it was so no AOG situation. In over 60,000 nautical miles through over a dozen countries, this plane has been the most reliable I have ever operated. Hands down, no competition.

I have wanted more UL, fuel, and range in every aircraft I have owned (10+ types?). Nothing new there. I think 4 adults with bags and ski gear, fuel fuel and 1000 nautical miles is quite amazing for an owner flown personal airplane. Land after that 1000nm 3 hr 15 minute flight and put in less than 200 gallons of Jet-A (typically $1+ per gallon cheaper than 100LL).

Acquisition price is not bad. If you shop hard, you can buy a 1.7 upgraded plane for $1m. (I prefer it to the iFMS. It has all the goodies such as traffic, radar, coupled autopilot, fiki, moving maps, etc.) It will probably have 800-900 hours and not be on the engine program (which I don't recommend anyway). Keep in mind these are 2008 model planes. Compare that to what a 2008 Baron sells for and the cost of entry looks pretty reasonable.

It isn't cheap by any stretch. I figure about $850 per hour all-in, not counting the cost of capital. The ~250 hours a year I am doing is something like $225k. But 250 hours a year is a lot in this airplane. That is almost 500 hours in a Baron, ~600 in a Bonanza. I think a fractional deal will work really well for most owners.

Ah, but heck, what do I know?

Theo,

Glad it is working for you. I am flying between 150-200 hours a year now at half the speed.

When I see $850 I think it is too rich for my blood. But I am spending ~$450 an hour for direct operating costs going ~220 KTAS block to block. So I probably have a higher cost per mile.

This is all based on flying ~150 hours a year. (I found I just go farther now than I did in my Cirrus; so total hours barely dropped) So with that stated, here are some very bad question for me.
-- I use the following components to calculate DOC. Fuel, Oil, MX and engine/prop reserve. What number would you use for each bucket on the Eclipse?
-- What number would you use for the annual budget? (Yes I know hangars vary, but pick a number)
-- What number would you want for the emergency reserve?
-- Is there a resource which can break down the major model / upgrades changes and roughly what is the market price?

I might be dumb enough to actually look closely at the Eclipse and start searching for a partner.

Tim

My buddy's Eclipse is in pre-buy and annual since last night....
He sold his Cirrus.
Since we often fly for dinner and lunch together, I told him he would have to spot me and hour or two.
I know he was upset my Bo was faster than his Cirrus (below 10,000) but Jeesh..... I didn't think he was that upset....