As Personal Jet's First Flight Approaches, Engine Takes to Skies

Eclipse Aviation has just let us know that on May 30, 2002, the Williams EJ22 turbofan engine, the revolutionary small jet engine that was designed expressly for the Eclipse, successfully completed its first flight. Performing flawlessly, the EJ22 flew for approximately 50 minutes mounted onto its flying test bed, a modified Sabreliner Model 60. The EJ22 is being developed exclusively for Eclipse Aviation by Williams International of Walled Lake, Michigan. Two EJ22 engines will power the next-generation Eclipse 500 jet. Each engine weighs approximately 85 lbs. and produces 770 lbs. of thrust, the highest thrust-to-weight ratio of any commercial turbofan ever produced.
"This is truly a momentous occasion," said Vern Raburn, president and CEO of Eclipse Aviation. "We congratulate and applaud the people of Williams International for this great achievement. Together, each day we draw closer to realizing our dream of changing the way people travel."
In this maiden flight, the EJ22 completed the entire flight envelope planned for the first flight of the Eclipse 500 jet, scheduled to occur later this summer.
The flying test bed was designed to test the capabilities of the EJ22 in flight including FADEC software development, relight characteristics and operating envelope. EJ22 testing on the flying test bed will continue for several months through which valuable information about the characteristics of the engine will continue to be collected, even after the inaugural flight of the Eclipse 500 jet.
The EJ22 is the commercial version of the FJX-2 technology demonstration engine that Williams International developed jointly with NASA's General Aviation Propulsion program.

More Good News: Friction-Stir Welding Gets FAA's OK

Eclipse also tells us that the FAA has approved the friction stir welding process specification created for use in the assembly of the Eclipse 500 jet.
Eclipse is the first to use this advanced manufacturing technology in production of thin-gauge aircraft aluminum. This approval was received approximately one year ahead of the anticipated schedule.
FAA approval of this process specification, in conjunction with the receipt of the Eclipse 500 type certificate, will allow Eclipse Aviation to build production aircraft using friction stir welding.
The friction stir welding process specification details the procedural requirements, quality assurance provisions, standards for tooling and material preparation necessary for the use of friction stir welding in the assembly of aircraft.
Friction stir welding will replace more than 60 percent of the rivets on major assemblies of the Eclipse 500 jet including the cabin, aft fuselage, wings and engine mounts. Friction stir welding is highly automated and significantly faster than other structural jointing processes.
It enables the drastic reduction in aircraft assembly time and eliminates the need for thousands of rivets resulting in reduced assembly costs, better quality joining and stronger, lighter joints.

FMI: http://www.williams-int.com, www.eclipseaviation.com