Eclipse 550

The Eclipse 550 is a very light jet initially built by Eclipse Aerospace and later One Aviation of Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States. The aircraft is a development version of the Eclipse 500, which was produced by predecessor Eclipse Aviation.

Like the 500, the 550 is a low-wing, six-seat, twin-engine jet-powered aircraft. The Eclipse 550 is certified for single-pilot operation.

Eclipse Aerospace unveiled the Eclipse 550 at the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) convention held in Las Vegas, Nevada, in October 2011. The aircraft production started at EA’s Albuquerque facility in New Mexico in June 2012 and the production certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) was received in March 2013.

The first delivery was made in March 2014.

The spacious cabin of the Eclipse 550 business jet can carry six passengers in a tandem seating configuration. It is equipped with leather seats, an Iridium phone, onboard oxygen generation systems, LED lightings, a cabin pressurization system, and a Wi-Fi-based cabin entertainment system.

The cabin is 3.67m long, 1.42m wide and 1.27m high.

The avionics suite installed in the Eclipse 550 includes an automatic direction finder, radar altimeter, storm scope, an attitude and heading reference system, and traffic collision avoidance system. Innovative Solutions and Support (ISS) was contracted in October 2010 to supply Avio’s dual integrated flight management system (IFMS).

A supplemental type certificate for the IFMS was obtained from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in March 2011.

The IFMS minimizes the workload of the pilot by acting as a virtual co-pilot. It centrally controls the avionics, engines, fuel systems, flaps, landing gear, cabin pressure, and temperature.

The synthetic vision system installed in the aircraft will render the pilot with a clear understanding of the flight conditions by using terrain obstacles, geo-political, hydrological, and other database information.

Other avionics encompass automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B), wide area augmentation system, an iPad data entry integration system, distance measuring equipment, global positioning system, terrain awareness, and a warning system, and onboard color weather radar.

Eclipse Aerospace awarded a contract to Curtiss-Wright Controls in August 2013for the supply of Aircraft Computer System (ACS) for the Eclipse 550 aircraft. The ACS enables advanced control and monitoring of aircraft systems.

Deliveries are expected to be completed by 2016.

This jet is one of the economical jets available for charter flights from and to New York, with a wide range of availability in several major aviation markets. The cost to charter this jet starts at around $2,600 an hour.

Hourly charter rates do not include all taxes, fuel, and other fees. Charter costs will vary based on year of make/model, schedule, routing, passenger & baggage totals, and other factors.