(continued)

ATF: I've read that the avionics and control systems in the Eclipse 500 will be as technologically advanced as those in the latest-generation of commercial jumbo jets. How was that accomplished in an aircraft with a price of somewhere under $1.5 million?

AB: Once again, that has to do with viewing the whole development cycle in terms of system integration. For example, the typical airline passenger jet has an avionic system comprised of about 40 off-the-shelf components purchased from numerous vendors and wired together.

Our system consists of 16 subsystems most of which are contained on cards integrated by our own custom software. This not only enables us get the price down, it allows us to build-in an unprecedented amount of redundancy.

Advanced situational-awareness displays, auto throttles, smart actuators and electronic circuit breakers are just some of the 500's cockpit features that have never been available in this size and price aircraft before.

ATF: The 500 is designed to be a true workhorse, able to fly more than 2,000 hours or more a year - a utilization rate more typical of airliners than corporate or private aircraft. How have you accomplished this?

AB: A lot of it has to do with our view of an aircraft as a series of interrelating systems. For example, Eclipse's proprietary Avio Total Aircraft Integration system monitors the health of virtually every onboard system. It supports redundant central aircraft computer systems and an advanced power-distribution system and uses trend monitoring and self-diagnostic technology to provide advance warning of potential failures and minimize downtown.

We also eliminated or re-engineered many maintenance-intensive systems such as high-pressure hydraulics, power brakes and thrust reversers.

ATF: Coming back to earth for a moment, how's business?

AB: Great. We've got firm orders - orders on which deposits have been paid - for 2400 airplanes, about two thirds from air-taxi operators and the rest from owner-operators and corporations. We expect to deliver 100 aircraft by the end of our first full year of production, 300 the year after that, and 1000 per year beginning in production year three.

ATF: How important is the air taxi industry to Eclipse Aviation's success?

AB: It's obviously an extremely important profit center for us, but our business plan is based on breaking even on 500 aircraft deliveries annually and we projected we could achieve that even if our only customers were owner-operators and corporations.

ATF: That sounds like a tall order.

AB: The projection was based partially on an analysis of the business and pleasure aircraft replacement and upgrade market and partially on Vern Rayburn's perception of a new emerging transportation market that stresses minimizing logistics challenges and maximizing "people time."

We believe that the general aviation industry hasn't been truly innovative in a generation or more and that has resulted in a static market. We believe our emphasis on what might be termed "disruptive" technology can make that market dynamic again.

We also think that the introduction of the 500, which is a whole new value proposition in general aviation, may result in the development of a brand new layer of transportation.

ATF: Can you define that?

AB: Yes. It's mostly a matter of economics. For instance, many major corporations operate Gulfstreams because they know that business jets maximize their top executives' productivity, decrease their job stress levels and improve their quality of life. With the 500, the cost-benefit ratio of owning and operating jet aircraft for middle management swings way over to the benefit side of the scale.

CEOs and COOs of these companies are going to continue to fly in full-size executive jets … that's one of perks of being in charge. The new layer in corporate travel is going to be middle managers flying in company-owned Eclipse 500s. Likewise, lawyers, doctors, car dealers, small-business entrepreneurs and others with annual revenues of two million dollars a year can now afford a private business jet. And, of course, the new business model being pioneered by Dayjet and other per-seat, fly-on-demand air taxi operators is another part of this new transportation layer.

ATF: I haven't been fortunate enough to see one of the prototypes live and in person yet, but thousands of people around the country have. What kind of feedback are you getting?

AB: The overall interest has been amazing, we've had hundreds of people standing in two-hour lines when serial number 506 has been on display and the reactions have been overwhelmingly positive. People tell us they love the styling and love the concept. And that's just from looking at one parked. If they love the 500 now, they're going to positively adore it once they get to fly on one.

ATF: Personally, I'd rather stand in line two hours to catch a sneak preview of a hot new airplane than pace an airport basement for two hours waiting for my bags not to appear. Thanks for taking the time to chat and, from all of us disgruntled frequent fliers, thanks for reinventing the business travel wheel.

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