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the Eclipse is slightly greater than the M500 and Vision Jet and less than the TBMs or the M600. On my recent trip to Puerto Vallarta, for example, the Eclipse would take the shortest time and use less fuel than the TBM 940 or the Vision Jet and slightly more than the M600. The M500 doesn’t have the range to make that trip nonstop.
Parts & Support
Without a doubt, support for the Eclipse has been a roller coaster from the beginning. However, with recent ownership changes of Eclipse Aerospace, the future looks brighter than it has for years. Over its history, the availability of parts, service and support has been quite variable with a small number of air- craft AOG for relatively simple parts. I won’t go into the full details of the company’s history since books have been written about it – literally.
Parts availability has been the single most important drawback to owning an Eclipse Jet, with no current source for a few components. The new man- agement of Eclipse Aerospace has stepped up to that challenge and is working with vendors to improve the parts supply chain and find new alter- natives for those components in scarce supply. Also, an innovative company called Resurgent Aviation Solutions (RAS) started by Cary Winters, former executive vice president at Eclipse, has also been a lifesaver for aircraft owners. Not only does RAS have PMA approval and numerous useful STCs, but they can also repair many components that previously would have resulted in a plane being AOG for months. They are continually de- veloping new solutions, and I’m not alone in being amazed by Cary and his team’s capabilities, which also in- cludes Mike Martin and Jonathan Fox, both well known for their Eclipse sup- port expertise.
Maintenance support in the U.S., where most of the planes reside, has been provided by up to four Eclipse factory service centers over the years, with two presently operational – Albuquerque, New Mexico, (KABQ) and Aurora, Illinois (KARR). In ad- dition, there are two Eclipse gold
service centers in the U.S., Apex Aviation in Henderson, Nevada (KHND) and Boca Aviation Main- tenance in Boca Raton, Florida (KBCT). There are also several other qualified facilities that support the planes throughout the U.S. and in other regions.
In summary, the Eclipse is a well- designed jet with some unique charac- teristics, such as the Avio avionics, that offers both challenges and benefits. The support issues appear to be on the way of being resolved and the future looks promising.
Aerox
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With 12,000+ hours of piloting more than 100 aircraft models Rich Pickett still has a passion for flying. Rich holds an ATP, CFII SME, SES, glider licenses, and type ratings in the L29, L39, Citation 500/510s/525s, Eclipse 500S, Beechcraft Premier and DA10. His company, Personal Wings, provides training, mentoring and aircraft services. He is also a proud owner of an Eclipse and Cirrus SR22. You can contact Rich at rich@personalwings.com.
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March 2021 / TWIN & TURBINE • 15