The new aircraft will have the same airframe and engines as the 500, but will be called Eclipse 550 and sell for $2.695 million. Like the 500, the 550 will be certified for single-pilot operation. Cockpit avionics upgrades include synthetic and enhanced vision; sharper, more powerful display screens; a separate avionics standby display unit; dual integrated flight-management systems; and autothrottles for smoother, more efficient engine operation.
“This is already one of the quietest aircraft interiors out there,” said Holland, “but the 550 is just so much tighter.”
The 550 will be the only factory production twinjet available for under $3 million and will boast operating costs below those of a new single-engine piston aircraft in select markets, such as Europe, Holland said. Direct hourly operating costs (fuel, maintenance, engine reserves) in the U.S. are between $650 and $700 an hour, he said. That makes the Eclipse less expensive to operate per nautical mile than even some single-engine turboprops. Pilots routinely see fuel burns at maximum cruise altitude of less than 60 gallons an hour and can easily use runways shorter than 3,000 feet. Read the full article here.
Business Jet Traveler//March 18, 2013//Mark Huber
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