As I have promised, I said that Eclipse would communicate more
frequently. As part of this increased communication effort, I told
you that we would provide a DRAFT version of the AFM Section 5 that
represents the final Eclipse 500 aircraft configuration by the end
of the month. Today, I am providing exactly that. This letter will
attempt to explain the DRAFT version of the AFM and Section 5
performance that you now have access to.
First, I want to make sure that the definition of final Eclipse
500 aircraft configuration is understood to mean the performance
improvement package (extended tip tanks and aerodynamic
modifications) combined with the Avio NG displays and associated
avionics. These data will not apply to aircraft without the
performance improvement package and/or Avio NG installed. You will
see from these data that the Eclipse 500 aircraft meets its
performance guarantees and performs like we have always told you it
would.
The data that you are receiving today are derived from actual
flight testing activity in a final configuration aircraft assuming
an Avio NG weight. However, please understand that all of the data
I am distributing to you today are preliminary and subject to
change.
Performance Snapshot
In all cases, we have obtained actual flight test data that
meets, or exceeds, the guaranteed performance of the Eclipse 500
jet. A snapshot of these data is shown here:
All of the performance data shown today are very conservative,
and have yet to be optimized. Specifically, the data on field
performance and initial rates of climb are highly preliminary and
have yet to be optimized, as they have not yet been fully tested.
You will see in the DRAFT AFM that takeoff and landing distances
have increased, which is mostly due to the increase takeoff and
landing weights on the aircraft. You must understand that we have
not yet fully tested these performance capabilities of the final
configuration airplane, and this is where we are at today. As such,
we are providing you with conservative, calculated data for field
performance and rate of climb. We are aggressively working to
improve these areas, and have set a target expectation for
each.
The chart below shows the currently published performance, the
performance listed in the Draft AFM, and our targets.
Before the final release of the AFM, we will have further
improved many areas of the performance envelope through continued
flight demonstration...
Overall, I am very pleased with the progress we are currently
making. This progress is evident in the production line, the
results from flight testing, and the enthusiasm of Eclipse
employees. It is because of you, our customers, that we continue to
press on to deliver the best jet that General Aviation has ever
dreamed of, much less delivered...
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