Ouch. That's gonna help get the fleet numbers down.

yes, it was a good innovation, when it was invented by a stodgy old tractor company decades ago

I thought is was invented in the USSR in 1956 and stolen by Caterpillar and others.

Vince

Nothing in the development phase killed them despite the engine and avionic delays.

What did them in was making a plane below cost. And then doing that quickly. The faster they made them, the faster they lost money.

The plane simply can't be built as cheap as they needed it to be. It will never be profitable to manufacture.

Mike C.

Neither does PWC, but you can bet your last dollar the rates for the engine program will be adjusted so they aren't losing money on it.

So, when "rolling the dice", remember that PWC owns the Casino. You can take a chance, or you can pay them protection money. Either way, they win.

Mike C.

Not appropriate for light jets.

Did not save very many rivets in the end despite claims. Still lots of rivets in Eclipse.

Makes repairs uber complex/expensive, scrap whole assemblies.

Requires super expensive jigs and machines. Even if you get those for "free" (like Eclipse #2), requires expensive upkeep and labor to run.

Difficult to inspect and QC for defects. Small manufacturing defects are not reworkable, so high scrap rate.

The structure of a light jet is not the majority cost. Even if you could do that for free, the planes would not be much cheaper.

Mike C.

Agreed, I've gotten more anti computer over the past few years when I realized that the computers are way more expensive to operate and have higher failure rates than steam.

I'd go back to steam, with a throw away IPad, if I could.

Crappy company, sad

If the fleet is going through as many $300K wings as you mention, the airframe might have some value!

Michael,

Sorry to hear that new Eclipse will not support the older aircraft.

It's a shame for forced upgrades, limited MX facilities, and a lack of support.

I've followed Eclipse since the first 5 prototypes were in the air, and spent a lot of time with s/n1, and so many other great airframes.

Shame to see what's happening. It sounds like you really really loved your bird,




Warren

He blew up an engine and the tab was gonna be $300K, (no motor program) Other engine needed a hot section. Cheaper to buy new engines on the motor program with a fixed $200/hour cost including all maintenance and surprises.

The 610 series is having some mid life teething issues and sometimes corn cob themselves.

It is the same for many jets. I have a friend that traded in his Citation (3000TTA&E) for a newer jet. They gave him 300K for the plane and then sold the engines and scraped the airframe.

What plane is he putting your engines on?

There is a fascinating book entitled "The Great Eclipse" that details Avidyne's repeated failure to deliver on promises, the decision to scrap Williams in favor of heavier and thirstier PWC 610s and a hundred other details of the airframer. For example, Eclipse stalling their final customer delivery (the salesman and customer were literally in the customer waiting room when said customer found out not only was he not getting the airplane sitting on the other side of the glass, he was also not getting his $1.25 million back either) until after the bankruptcy filing, Vern's personality "quirks" and fundraising saga, and Mason's efforts to create an MRO out of the ashes.

It's a great read for anyone thinking of trying their hand in the business of aviation or with an interest in one of the many failed attempts to revolutionize transportation.

JT flies an eclipse? Wow. Learned something new today.