Eclipse Aviation Thanks Suppliers

Eclipse Aviation Tuesday honored eight of its global supply team partners at NBAA in Las Vegas, presenting them with awards for what Eclipse called "their extraordinary performance." These suppliers have provided Eclipse with superior support in the production of its pre-production Eclipse 500 jet flight test fleet. 

"We are consistently blown away by this incredibly committed group of suppliers," said Vern Raburn, president and CEO of Eclipse Aviation. "It is no small feat to create a new category of jet aircraft and do it in a way that challenges nearly every traditional aviation practice. These suppliers have risen to the challenge and been instrumental in helping us achieve our goal of resuming flight test of the Eclipse 500 by the end of this year. It is a pleasure to recognize and celebrate their stellar performance."

As of October 1, 2004, Eclipse had seven pre-production test aircraft in manufacturing and had completed all friction stir welding on the first flight test aircraft that will fly with the PW610F engines.

The Eclipse 500 suppliers that received awards from Eclipse Aviation Tuesday were:

• Aikoku Alpha Corporation (Aikoku), located near Nagoya, Japan, is manufacturing the wing ribs for the Eclipse 500.
• Argo-Tech Corporation, located in Orange County (CA) is supplying the fuel system for the Eclipse 500.
• FreeFlight Systems, located in Waco (TX), is the manufacturer of the Global Positioning System for the Eclipse 500 aircraft.
• Fuji Heavy Industries, Ltd., (FHI), located in Utsunomiya, Japan, manufactures the complete wing assembly for the Eclipse 500.
• Novakinetics, based in Flagstaff (AZ), manufactures the engine nacelles and pylon skins for the Eclipse 500.
• Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC), located in Longueuil, Quebec is developing the PW610F engine that will power the Eclipse 500.
• Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics, located in Ravenna (OH) is fabricating the nose radome for the Eclipse 500 aircraft.
• WaterJet Cutting Incorporated, located in Albuquerque (NM), has been providing manufacturing support for the Eclipse 500 pre-production activities.

Tuesday night, Eclipse was to host an exclusive dinner for the supplier awards recipients. Following this year's special pre-production awards, Eclipse Aviation plans to establish an annual supplier awards program that will recognize supplier dedication and commitment to the Eclipse 500 program.

FMI: www.eclipseaviation.com