Eclipse 400
Encyclopedia
The Eclipse 400 (formerly ECJ) is a single engine very light jet
Very Light Jet
A very light jet, entry-level jet or personal jet, previously known as a microjet, is a category of small jet aircraft approved for single-pilot operation, seating 4-8 people, with a maximum take-off weight of under...

 that was designed by Eclipse Aviation
Eclipse Aviation
Eclipse Aviation Corporation was the Albuquerque, New Mexico-based manufacturer of the Eclipse 500 very light jet and also at one time proposed developing the Eclipse 400 single-engined jet....

, producer of the Eclipse 500
Eclipse 500
The Eclipse 500 is a small six-seat business jet aircraft manufactured by Eclipse Aviation.Eclipse 500 became the first of a new class of Very Light Jet when it was delivered in late 2006...

.

The Eclipse 400 was cancelled when the company went bankrupt in 2008 and development has not been pursued by Eclipse Aerospace
Eclipse Aerospace
Eclipse Aerospace is an American aircraft maintenance and upgrade company, with the expressed intention of becoming a future aircraft manufacturer if and when the Eclipse 500 is returned to production...

, the company that bought Eclipse Aviation's assets.

Design and development

The Eclipse 400 was first publicly unveiled on 23 July 2007 at AirVenture as the Eclipse Concept Jet (ECJ). The aircraft was intended to compete with the Cirrus Vision SJ50
Cirrus Vision SJ50
The Cirrus Vision SF50 is a single-engine, low-wing, seven-seat, very light jet aircraft under development by Cirrus Design.The aircraft was initially developed under the project name "The Jet", but Cirrus announced the final marketing name of "Vision SJ50" on July 9, 2008...

, the PiperJet, the Epic Victory
Epic Victory
-See also:-External links:***...

, and the Diamond D-Jet
Diamond D-Jet
The Diamond D-JET is a composite, five-seat, single-engine jet aircraft produced by Diamond Aircraft Industries. The aircraft is undergoing flight testing...

 in the single-engine jet market. The Eclipse 400 design featured one engine, four seats and a V-tail
V-tail
In aircraft, a V-tail is an unconventional arrangement of the tail control surfaces that replaces the traditional fin and horizontal surfaces with two surfaces set in a V-shaped configuration when viewed from the front or rear of the aircraft...

 similar to the Cirrus Jet.

The four seat prototype, registered N5184U, is powered by a single Pratt & Whitney Canada PW610F turbofan and first flown on 2 July 2007. It was built in complete secrecy at NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...

's Wallops Flight Facility
Wallops Flight Facility
Wallops Flight Facility , located on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, is operated by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, primarily as a rocket launch site to support science and exploration missions for NASA and other U.S. government agencies...

 in Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...

 by Swift Engineering
Swift Engineering
Swift Engineering is an American engineering firm, most notable for producing racing cars for a variety of open-wheel racing series, including Champ Car World Series, Formula Atlantic, and Formula Nippon.-History:...

 and Basis. The prototype aircraft has 60% parts commonality with its larger Eclipse 500 sibling.

At the time of its announcement the company said that the aircraft would have an expected cruise speed of 345 knots at 41000 ft (12,497 m) with an IFR
Instrument flight rules
Instrument flight rules are one of two sets of regulations governing all aspects of civil aviation aircraft operations; the other are visual flight rules ....

 range of 1250 nmi (2,315 km). The aircraft was designed for a 4800 lb (2,177 kg) gross weight, 2480 lb (1,125 kg) empty weight, 2000 lb (907 kg) useful load and a fuel capacity of 1261 lb (572 kg).

When the prototype was initially unveiled the company said that it did not intend to produce the aircraft.

Eclipse CEO Vern Raburn said:
On 30 May 2008, Eclipse Aviation began taking orders for a production version of the ECJ, the Eclipse 400. The 400 was at that time priced at $1.35 million and deliveries were expected to begin by the fourth quarter in 2011.

At AirVenture in July 2008 new Eclipse CEO Roel Pieper confirmed that if sufficient orders were placed for the 400 then production would commence in 2011. Pieper also said: "If there's not sufficient interest we'll give their (deposits) back...The 400 will get a very specific program. It will not be allowed to influence the 500
Eclipse 500
The Eclipse 500 is a small six-seat business jet aircraft manufactured by Eclipse Aviation.Eclipse 500 became the first of a new class of Very Light Jet when it was delivered in late 2006...

 in any way."

In August 2008 in a communication to position holders the company indicated that development of the Eclipse 400 was on hold. In October 2008 when asked "if the Eclipse 400 project was a go or not, Eclipse said it has not begun the certification process. The company also said it has not spent any of the deposit money for the four-place, single-engine VLJ."

In October 2008 industry analysts The Teal Group and Forecast International both issued independent analyses indicting that Eclipse faced bankruptcy by the end of the first quarter of 2009 and this development was expected to terminate development of the Eclipse 400. Eclipse Aviation entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy
Chapter 11, Title 11, United States Code
Chapter 11 is a chapter of the United States Bankruptcy Code, which permits reorganization under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. Chapter 11 bankruptcy is available to every business, whether organized as a corporation or sole proprietorship, and to individuals, although it is most...

 on 25 November 2008. Even though the purchase agreements for Eclipse 400s stated that the USD$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....

100,000 deposit was refundable upon request anytime before November 2009, reports in December 2008 indicated that deposits were not refunded upon request and that the company did not return phone calls on the subject.

Court documents filed by Eclipse 400 position holders as part of the bankruptcy hearings allege that the company misappropriated the USD$3.2M collected from depositors, did not escrow it as contracted to do so and refused to refund it when required to. The assets of the company were sold to EclipseJet Aviation International by court order on 23 January 2009 and the fate of the deposits became the subject of an adversarial court action at that time. The sale to EclipseJet was not completed and the company entered Chapter 7 liquidation, the company assets, including the Eclipse 400 prototype, going to Eclipse Aerospace
Eclipse Aerospace
Eclipse Aerospace is an American aircraft maintenance and upgrade company, with the expressed intention of becoming a future aircraft manufacturer if and when the Eclipse 500 is returned to production...

. That new company has not pursued development of the Eclipse 400.

Specifications

Reference: Eclipse website

See also

External links

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