Saturday, July 29, 2006
Thursday, July 27, 2006
Eclipse 500 Achieves FAA Type Certification
Eclipse Aviation realizes groundbreaking achievement as revolutionary Eclipse 500 jet becomes the world's first FAA-certified VLJ
OSHKOSH, WI - July 27, 2006 - General aviation marked a major milestone today as Eclipse Aviation, manufacturer of the revolutionary Eclipse 500 very light jet (VLJ), received provisional type certification from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The company expects to receive the full type certification for the Eclipse 500 by August 30th that will allow day/night, Visual Flight Rules (VFR)/Instrument Flight Rules (IFR), single-pilot and Reduced Vertical Separation Minimums (RVSM) operations throughout the complete operating envelope, and enable the company to start delivering Eclipse 500s to customers.
"We have looked forward to this monumental accomplishment since Eclipse was founded nearly eight years ago," said Vern Raburn, president and CEO of Eclipse Aviation. "I am incredibly grateful for the tireless efforts of the combined Eclipse-FAA team that guided us to this critical moment in our company's history. As we celebrate today, we also know that certification is not our destination; the most important measure of our success will be our ability to continue to deliver unprecedented performance, reliability, technology, training and service innovations to our customers for years to come."
FAA certification was officially granted to the Eclipse 500 on July 27, and the provisional type certificate was presented to Vern Raburn, president and CEO of Eclipse Aviation, by FAA Administrator Marion Blakey in a special ceremony at EAA's 2006 AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
Eclipse 500 Redefines Private Jet Value Proposition
The Eclipse 500 is the least expensive twin-turbofan business jet in the world, delivering acquisition and operating costs that are dramatically lower than those of current entry-level jets. The Eclipse 500 gives customers technologies and capabilities traditionally only found in jets costing millions more. Further lowering customer cost of ownership, the Eclipse 500 is designed for high hour/cycle operations, providing airline-like reliability and dispatch availability.
The Eclipse 500 is powered by two Pratt & Whitney Canada PW610F engines that are flat rated at 900 pounds of thrust and feature a dual-channel Full Authority Digital Electronic Control (FADEC). Designed with an approximately 50 percent reduction in parts count, the PW610F incorporates the latest technologies while offering optimum value to the operators.
Using a test fleet of five FAA conforming aircraft, the Eclipse 500 was certified in more than 1,800 flights and 2,700 flight hours. To meet the FAA's stringent performance and safety requirements, Eclipse's comprehensive flight test program assessed the Eclipse 500's performance across thousands of test points that examined aircraft handling, flight characteristics, avionics and electronics performance, environmental/noise impact, systems reliability and aircraft safety.
Tooled and designed for high-volume, low-cost production, Eclipse plans to deliver more than 50 Eclipse 500s through the end of 2006.
About Eclipse
Eclipse Aviation is in the business of designing, certifying and producing modern, affordable jet aircraft that will revolutionize the transportation market. The company is applying advanced electronics systems, manufacturing and business practices to produce aircraft that cost less than a third of today's small jet aircraft, will be significantly safer and easier to operate than those of today, and have the lowest cost of ownership ever achieved in a jet aircraft.
The goal of Eclipse is to bring the word "personal" into aviation, making it possible for commercial air passengers to move directly between cities on a quick, affordable and convenient basis. It will also allow pilot owners to enter the world of jet-powered aviation. Contact Eclipse at
http://www.eclipseaviation.com.
Eclipse Aviation Offers Eclipse 500 Financing
Eclipse Aviation Releases Eclipse 500 Price/Performance Details
Gearing Up for Growth, Eclipse Aviation Expands
Eclipse Expands Service Center Network with Additional Maintenance Facilities
Eclipse Aviation Releases Results of VLJ Economic Impact Study
Eclipse 500 Emerges as Quietest Jet Aircraft in History
OSHKOSH, WI - July 27, 2006 - General aviation marked a major milestone today as Eclipse Aviation, manufacturer of the revolutionary Eclipse 500 very light jet (VLJ), received provisional type certification from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The company expects to receive the full type certification for the Eclipse 500 by August 30th that will allow day/night, Visual Flight Rules (VFR)/Instrument Flight Rules (IFR), single-pilot and Reduced Vertical Separation Minimums (RVSM) operations throughout the complete operating envelope, and enable the company to start delivering Eclipse 500s to customers.
"We have looked forward to this monumental accomplishment since Eclipse was founded nearly eight years ago," said Vern Raburn, president and CEO of Eclipse Aviation. "I am incredibly grateful for the tireless efforts of the combined Eclipse-FAA team that guided us to this critical moment in our company's history. As we celebrate today, we also know that certification is not our destination; the most important measure of our success will be our ability to continue to deliver unprecedented performance, reliability, technology, training and service innovations to our customers for years to come."
FAA certification was officially granted to the Eclipse 500 on July 27, and the provisional type certificate was presented to Vern Raburn, president and CEO of Eclipse Aviation, by FAA Administrator Marion Blakey in a special ceremony at EAA's 2006 AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
Eclipse 500 Redefines Private Jet Value Proposition
The Eclipse 500 is the least expensive twin-turbofan business jet in the world, delivering acquisition and operating costs that are dramatically lower than those of current entry-level jets. The Eclipse 500 gives customers technologies and capabilities traditionally only found in jets costing millions more. Further lowering customer cost of ownership, the Eclipse 500 is designed for high hour/cycle operations, providing airline-like reliability and dispatch availability.
The Eclipse 500 is powered by two Pratt & Whitney Canada PW610F engines that are flat rated at 900 pounds of thrust and feature a dual-channel Full Authority Digital Electronic Control (FADEC). Designed with an approximately 50 percent reduction in parts count, the PW610F incorporates the latest technologies while offering optimum value to the operators.
Using a test fleet of five FAA conforming aircraft, the Eclipse 500 was certified in more than 1,800 flights and 2,700 flight hours. To meet the FAA's stringent performance and safety requirements, Eclipse's comprehensive flight test program assessed the Eclipse 500's performance across thousands of test points that examined aircraft handling, flight characteristics, avionics and electronics performance, environmental/noise impact, systems reliability and aircraft safety.
Tooled and designed for high-volume, low-cost production, Eclipse plans to deliver more than 50 Eclipse 500s through the end of 2006.
About Eclipse
Eclipse Aviation is in the business of designing, certifying and producing modern, affordable jet aircraft that will revolutionize the transportation market. The company is applying advanced electronics systems, manufacturing and business practices to produce aircraft that cost less than a third of today's small jet aircraft, will be significantly safer and easier to operate than those of today, and have the lowest cost of ownership ever achieved in a jet aircraft.
The goal of Eclipse is to bring the word "personal" into aviation, making it possible for commercial air passengers to move directly between cities on a quick, affordable and convenient basis. It will also allow pilot owners to enter the world of jet-powered aviation. Contact Eclipse at
http://www.eclipseaviation.com.
Eclipse Aviation Offers Eclipse 500 Financing
Eclipse Aviation Releases Eclipse 500 Price/Performance Details
Gearing Up for Growth, Eclipse Aviation Expands
Eclipse Expands Service Center Network with Additional Maintenance Facilities
Eclipse Aviation Releases Results of VLJ Economic Impact Study
Eclipse 500 Emerges as Quietest Jet Aircraft in History
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
How the Brits say "Urban Sprawl"
In a fun work debate on the emergence of urban space, a fellow co-worker pulled out a tricky geographic term to describe "urban spawl" not-often used on this side of the pond.
"Conurbation", in all its quick e-reference glory, is listed below.
From the Dictionary of Human Geography (3rd Edition), ed. by R.J. Johnston et. al.
A term coined by Patrick Geddes to describe a built-up area created by the coalescence of once-separate urban settlements, initially through ribbon development along the main inter-urban routes. With greater urban sprawl the term has now been largely replaced by concepts such as daily urban system, megapolis, metropolitan area and metropolitan labor area.
Also from Dictionary.com
conurbation \kon-uhr-BAY-shuhn\, noun:An aggregation or continuous network of urban communities.
To live there in that great smoking conurbation rumbling with the constant thunder of locomotives, filled with the moaning of train whistles coming down the Potomac Valley, was beyond my most fevered hopes.-- Russell Baker, "Memoir of a Small-Town Boyhood", New York Times, September 12, 1982
Indeed the population in the greater London conurbation grew by 125 per cent in the period 1861 to 1911 when the population of England as a whole grew by 80 per cent.-- Terence Brown, The Life of W. B. Yeats
Conurbation is from Latin con-, with, together + urbs, city + the suffix -ation.
"Conurbation", in all its quick e-reference glory, is listed below.
From the Dictionary of Human Geography (3rd Edition), ed. by R.J. Johnston et. al.
A term coined by Patrick Geddes to describe a built-up area created by the coalescence of once-separate urban settlements, initially through ribbon development along the main inter-urban routes. With greater urban sprawl the term has now been largely replaced by concepts such as daily urban system, megapolis, metropolitan area and metropolitan labor area.
Also from Dictionary.com
conurbation \kon-uhr-BAY-shuhn\, noun:An aggregation or continuous network of urban communities.
To live there in that great smoking conurbation rumbling with the constant thunder of locomotives, filled with the moaning of train whistles coming down the Potomac Valley, was beyond my most fevered hopes.-- Russell Baker, "Memoir of a Small-Town Boyhood", New York Times, September 12, 1982
Indeed the population in the greater London conurbation grew by 125 per cent in the period 1861 to 1911 when the population of England as a whole grew by 80 per cent.-- Terence Brown, The Life of W. B. Yeats
Conurbation is from Latin con-, with, together + urbs, city + the suffix -ation.
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
Letter from the Front Line - Balad, Iraq
All,
This is an email forwarded to us from an old friend of ours back in Chicago. His brother penned the original email, talking about his arrival in Iraq for his tour of duty.
My favorite part of the email is "Thank you for all the prayers but make them for these guys and the people of Iraq who want to taste the freedoms and comforts of security we enjoy."
I don't know Lt Colonel Haviland, but I wish him God Speed in getting home safe and staying out of harm's way.
Dated 8 July 2006
All,
Thank you everyone for all the e-mails. Sorry for the mass update letter here but the 30 min computer time limit at the Internet trailer is a problem for us slow typers. No promises on future updates but here's the rundown on what I've seen so far.
The trip over was fairly brutal. We left on a Sunday and arrived on a Tuesday afternoon. 45 hours either on the plane or in a terminal with stops on the East Coast, Europe, 2 in the Middle East and then Balad Iraq. Needless to say, the cot/bed in my tent when I got there was looking pretty sweet. I wasn't even concerned with the rat domiciled underneath my air conditioner as long as he didn't mess with the thermostat. The tent was only temporary until our trailers opened up. (Lots of folks in & out) The trailers, which they call "Pods are pretty decent. Kind of like a small dorm rooms. Most of the facilities on the Base are either trailers or tents. The original Iraqi buildings are used for various operations and department office space. There are about 19 trees on base and all located around the Headquarters Building.
Balad is located in the Sunni triangle about 35 miles north of Baghdad.
It was previously an Iraqi MIG Base and remnants of that history are scattered throughout the complex. It's a full-up airfield with all four services represented to include Iraqi and civilian contractors. The Army takes care of the base perimeter and the only time I go outside the wire is while strapped in an airplane.
The biggest threat is the daily mortar and rocket attacks the bad guys shoot at the base. There is a fairly robust warning/detection system in place that sounds "incoming, incoming," and with all the sandbag and cement bunkers everywhere there's plenty of places to dive into when required. KBR, which is a Haliburton company, has done a good job of enclosing all the facilities with concrete walls and blast protection. Our living area looks like a concrete maze. So as long as you don't get boinked on the noggin going to the chow hall or the latrine you should be pretty safe. Everyone just goes about their business and when stuff gets blown up. We sweep up the mess/fix it and press on. (fortunately, the bad guys aim isn't very good.....yet!)
On the flying side it's a very busy place. We're running a 24/7 operation.
I pretty much work, eat and sleep in no set pattern. We provide support to our ground troops (essentially their "Big Stick" if needed). Everyday/night I fly over all these cities I see tons of traffic, people out & about, most of the lights on, and farmers working their fields in the rural areas. It's difficult to correlate the situation here with what you see on the News in the states. There are a lot of bad guys to be sure however, when you see a the dozens of acts of violence (car bombs/roadside bombs/attacks) in a single day and then see how large this country is (about twice the size of Illinois) with it's 27 million people, it puts some perspective on the situation. For the most part, the areas north & south have stabilized and many have been turned over to Iraqi control. The majority of the "Hot Spots" have contracted in and around Baghdad within about 50 miles.
While the Iraqi Security Forces don't have all the tools yet to "go it alone" they have made some huge progress. I'll spare you my analysis of the political and strategic complexities, and save the soapbox for a night on the deck with a few bottles of vino. Suffice to say, I think the Iraqi Government will be on fragile ground for some time.
We have some Iraqis who work at the base for various contractors. I haven't had a heart to heart talk with any of them but they seem to be friendly and happy to have a job. On the 4th of July, I was getting ready to takeoff on a mission and as I taxied past a group of about 10 Iraqi contractors working near the runway (they have Army guards with them) I tipped them a small salute thinking I could get a couple of them to wave. Not only did they wave but everyone of them stopped what they were doing and gave me the over-the-head, two-fisted whoo!-whoo! - big smiles on their faces. So either they're really happy we're here or that was a customary cheer meaning, "we hope you crash you infidel bastard." ........... I'm going with happy.
I'm sure they see what we do daily here at the base and work out in the communities. Schools, hospitals, roads and infrastructure projects continue despite repeated harassment attacks from insurgents.
One thing I didn't expect is the quality of the food. The Army runs 4 chow halls on base and you name it, it's on the menu! I don't know where they get it but its fresh, pretty tasty, and lots of it. What could make Americans happier than good free food? And of course, we have a Pizza Hut &
Subway (trailer / not free).
I need to run for now. I hope you're all enjoying the cool summer there.
Our troops are doing good work here and we're rollin-up the bad guys one at a time in many cases. They guys that deserve the most credit are our young soldiers and marines who patrol the streets, escort the convoys, and man the security checkpoints. They are constant targets in the crap each day and remind us through their losses how serious and difficult our task.
Thank you for all the prayers but make them for these guys and the people of Iraq who want to taste the freedoms and comforts of security we enjoy.
Thanks for the e-mails.
Take care all and I'll see you in the fall!
Dean
(In Balad)
Machinef16@yahoo.com
Lt. Col Dean W. Haviland
USAF/332 EFS
APO AE 09315-9997
This is an email forwarded to us from an old friend of ours back in Chicago. His brother penned the original email, talking about his arrival in Iraq for his tour of duty.
My favorite part of the email is "Thank you for all the prayers but make them for these guys and the people of Iraq who want to taste the freedoms and comforts of security we enjoy."
I don't know Lt Colonel Haviland, but I wish him God Speed in getting home safe and staying out of harm's way.
Dated 8 July 2006
All,
Thank you everyone for all the e-mails. Sorry for the mass update letter here but the 30 min computer time limit at the Internet trailer is a problem for us slow typers. No promises on future updates but here's the rundown on what I've seen so far.
The trip over was fairly brutal. We left on a Sunday and arrived on a Tuesday afternoon. 45 hours either on the plane or in a terminal with stops on the East Coast, Europe, 2 in the Middle East and then Balad Iraq. Needless to say, the cot/bed in my tent when I got there was looking pretty sweet. I wasn't even concerned with the rat domiciled underneath my air conditioner as long as he didn't mess with the thermostat. The tent was only temporary until our trailers opened up. (Lots of folks in & out) The trailers, which they call "Pods are pretty decent. Kind of like a small dorm rooms. Most of the facilities on the Base are either trailers or tents. The original Iraqi buildings are used for various operations and department office space. There are about 19 trees on base and all located around the Headquarters Building.
Balad is located in the Sunni triangle about 35 miles north of Baghdad.
It was previously an Iraqi MIG Base and remnants of that history are scattered throughout the complex. It's a full-up airfield with all four services represented to include Iraqi and civilian contractors. The Army takes care of the base perimeter and the only time I go outside the wire is while strapped in an airplane.
The biggest threat is the daily mortar and rocket attacks the bad guys shoot at the base. There is a fairly robust warning/detection system in place that sounds "incoming, incoming," and with all the sandbag and cement bunkers everywhere there's plenty of places to dive into when required. KBR, which is a Haliburton company, has done a good job of enclosing all the facilities with concrete walls and blast protection. Our living area looks like a concrete maze. So as long as you don't get boinked on the noggin going to the chow hall or the latrine you should be pretty safe. Everyone just goes about their business and when stuff gets blown up. We sweep up the mess/fix it and press on. (fortunately, the bad guys aim isn't very good.....yet!)
On the flying side it's a very busy place. We're running a 24/7 operation.
I pretty much work, eat and sleep in no set pattern. We provide support to our ground troops (essentially their "Big Stick" if needed). Everyday/night I fly over all these cities I see tons of traffic, people out & about, most of the lights on, and farmers working their fields in the rural areas. It's difficult to correlate the situation here with what you see on the News in the states. There are a lot of bad guys to be sure however, when you see a the dozens of acts of violence (car bombs/roadside bombs/attacks) in a single day and then see how large this country is (about twice the size of Illinois) with it's 27 million people, it puts some perspective on the situation. For the most part, the areas north & south have stabilized and many have been turned over to Iraqi control. The majority of the "Hot Spots" have contracted in and around Baghdad within about 50 miles.
While the Iraqi Security Forces don't have all the tools yet to "go it alone" they have made some huge progress. I'll spare you my analysis of the political and strategic complexities, and save the soapbox for a night on the deck with a few bottles of vino. Suffice to say, I think the Iraqi Government will be on fragile ground for some time.
We have some Iraqis who work at the base for various contractors. I haven't had a heart to heart talk with any of them but they seem to be friendly and happy to have a job. On the 4th of July, I was getting ready to takeoff on a mission and as I taxied past a group of about 10 Iraqi contractors working near the runway (they have Army guards with them) I tipped them a small salute thinking I could get a couple of them to wave. Not only did they wave but everyone of them stopped what they were doing and gave me the over-the-head, two-fisted whoo!-whoo! - big smiles on their faces. So either they're really happy we're here or that was a customary cheer meaning, "we hope you crash you infidel bastard." ........... I'm going with happy.
I'm sure they see what we do daily here at the base and work out in the communities. Schools, hospitals, roads and infrastructure projects continue despite repeated harassment attacks from insurgents.
One thing I didn't expect is the quality of the food. The Army runs 4 chow halls on base and you name it, it's on the menu! I don't know where they get it but its fresh, pretty tasty, and lots of it. What could make Americans happier than good free food? And of course, we have a Pizza Hut &
Subway (trailer / not free).
I need to run for now. I hope you're all enjoying the cool summer there.
Our troops are doing good work here and we're rollin-up the bad guys one at a time in many cases. They guys that deserve the most credit are our young soldiers and marines who patrol the streets, escort the convoys, and man the security checkpoints. They are constant targets in the crap each day and remind us through their losses how serious and difficult our task.
Thank you for all the prayers but make them for these guys and the people of Iraq who want to taste the freedoms and comforts of security we enjoy.
Thanks for the e-mails.
Take care all and I'll see you in the fall!
Dean
(In Balad)
Machinef16@yahoo.com
Lt. Col Dean W. Haviland
USAF/332 EFS
APO AE 09315-9997
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
PodCast of DayJet's Ed Iaccobucci
For those interested in a status update on DayJet, check out the podcast with Ed Iaccobucci.
The link should take you to Aero-News featrued Aero-Casts. Ed was interviewed 6.29.2006.
PodCast link
Aero-News Featured Aero-Casts For Thursday 06.29.06
Aero-News Network - FL,USA
Earlier this month, ANN reported that DayJet has designated several southern US airports as "dayports" -- as the company gets ready to offer a unique aviation ...
The link should take you to Aero-News featrued Aero-Casts. Ed was interviewed 6.29.2006.
PodCast link
Aero-News Featured Aero-Casts For Thursday 06.29.06
Aero-News Network - FL,USA
Earlier this month, ANN reported that DayJet has designated several southern US airports as "dayports" -- as the company gets ready to offer a unique aviation ...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)