Today’s Top Pick is a 2008 Eclipse 500.

During the early 2000s a number of aircraft companies were busy developing small jets, often called very light lets (VLJs) that were aimed largely at pilot-owners who were expected to use them as personal aircraft.

Part of the industry segment’s strategy included giving customers the realistic expectation that they could save travel time by flying their own small jets. Eclipse was generating lots of excitement in the general aviation market, which  veteran journalist and author James Fallows covered in his 2002 book, Free Flight: Inventing the Future of Travel.

The economic downturn of 2008 and 2009 was poorly timed for Eclipse and slowed production of the aircraft. The small jet, however, developed a following including pilots who have acquired them on the used market. If you have dreamed of owning a personal jet and are particular about aircraft styling, the Eclipse 500 could be the right airplane for you.

This 2008 Eclipse 500 has 1,052 hours on the airframe and on its two Pratt & Whitney PW610F engines. Its panel features an Integrated Flight Management System v2.08 from IS&S Standard with dual PFDs, one 15-inch MFD, color weather radar, Sirius XM Downlink Weather, geo-referenced Jeppesen approach plates, and fully coupled autopilot.

Additional equipment includes a BEI Gold engine management program, FIKI, 110-volt power outlets, 40-cubic-foot oxygen tank, Skywatch traffic alert system, Class B TAWS, Iridium satellite telephone, and air conditioning.

Pilots who saw the Eclipse’s potential when, more than a decade ago, it helped form the wave of VLJs preparing to enter the market should consider this 2008 Eclipse 500, which is available for $1.4 million on AircraftForSale.

If you’re interested in financing, you can do so with FLYING Finance. Use their airplane loan calculator to calculate your estimated monthly payments. Or, to speak with an aviation finance specialist, visit flyingfinance.com.

• FLYING Magazine: We Fly: One Aviation Eclipse 550
• FLYING Magazine: FAA Approves Structural Life Limit Increase for Eclipse 500/550
• FLYING Magazine: Eclipse 500 Avionics Upgrade Sells Out
• FLYING Magazine: First New-Build Eclipse 550 to Appear at NBAA Show
• Plane & Pilot: Eclipse 550
• Plane & Pilot: New Eclipse Jet in the Works
• AVweb: AEROCOR Logs 150th Eclipse 500 Training Event

The post This 2008 Eclipse 500 Is a VLJ Pioneer and an ‘AircraftForSale’ Top Pick appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

My dad and grandpa’s Cessna 172 Skyhawk XP, with its delightfully itchy sheepskin seats and the “Please step outside to smoke” sign on the dash, introduced me to aviation as a 7-year-old. I would practice ELT searches with my dad, organize Jeppesen charts, and try to read the instruments just like he would.

And being a kid in the ’80s, buzzing soccer games and friends’ houses only helped cement a love of aviation—and, as it turned out, adrenaline. I assumed that my dad’s skillful IFR landings and the rigor applied to his Civil Air Patrol work were the norm for pilots.

With grandpa’s passing, the C-172 went away. We didn’t have much extra money, so Saturday morning flights became a thing of the past. I grew up and eventually started a company and had some kids and raced some cars. I knew enough about being a pilot that I would not have the time to fly consistently and, therefore, I would not learn to fly well. As the company did better, I would dry lease or fly on fractionals to meetings and races. I wouldn’t think about the pilot we hired, the maintenance record of the airplane, or how young the pilot in command was. I was just excited to be in a small airplane again.

• READ MORE: Finding a Deer in the Headlights

The first lesson to pay attention came in the form of an early delivery Eclipse 500. I often dry leased a Malibu and hired a pilot (its owner). I enjoyed the steep approaches to Truckee, California (KTRK), and talking shop as I flew in the right seat with him. Each flight was an informal lesson. Soon, his Malibu went away, and a brand-new fast and high Eclipse 500 took its place. The idea of a very light jet (VLJ) was intoxicating. So much so that I never once questioned his ability to step up from the Malibu, nor did I question the sea of yellow “INOP” stickers that littered the panel of this dubiously certified little jet.

He and I were flying a short hop from McClellan Airfield (KMCC) in Sacramento, California, to the 3,300-foot strip at Gnoss Field (KDVO) in Marin County. Prior to takeoff, reports of fog made Gnoss a no-go, so we planned to fly an even shorter hop to Napa County (KAPC), which, it turns out, was also in the fog.

I sat in the right seat, and we talked about the new little jet’s systems. I admired the cockpit layout and the elegant sidestick jutting out from my right armrest. As we came in for the approach to Napa, there was thick fog for miles. I assumed it was a high layer and we’d punch right through just like dad used to. The pilot descended into the fog, and I did my job being a quiet passenger. In a slightly stressed tone, he asked if I could see the runway. Runway? We’re still way deep in the thick of the fog. And then there it was, still shrouded in fog, maybe 400 feet below and well to the right of us. I pointed it out as the numbers passed by us, and the airplane aggressively turned to line up with the still-shrouded runway. There was no way we were going to try to land, right?

• READ MORE: Beloved Flight Instructor’s Lessons Continue to Replay in Airline Captain’s Head

Thankfully, the pilot chose to go around. We went around on a steep climb to the right. And that’s when I heard the stern voice of the ATC—who I would soon find out was sitting in the tower…to our right—tell us that the go-around was to the left, and it’s critical to know and follow go-around procedures. We climbed back out of the clouds, he lined it back up, and we tried it again. Nope. Then again.

The third time, it went worse. The runway was nowhere in sight. The pilot muttered something about how we need to be careful as there are antennas nearby. We finally see the ground, which I think was somewhere between Runways 18L and 6. He went around again…to the right. The controller was now aggressively chastising him on the radio when I realized that we were still low and still turning and now in a banked descent somewhere near the tower and Runway 6. I looked up (yes, up) through the windshield and saw an access road and grass at a very odd angle to the panel. We weren’t level nor straight. And there is a tower somewhere to our left.

I knew enough about flying that this is a view that not many see from the windscreen of a jet a couple of hundred feet off the ground and can talk about later. My confidence that the pilot was in control was near zero. I knew that we needed to level the wings and pull back ASAP. I had the clarity of mind (thanks be to evolution for situations such as these) to know that grabbing that elegant little sidestick would probably kill us. Or then again, maybe it would save us.

The cliches of time slowing down and life flashing before my eyes proved to be true. My fingers opened inches from the stick, and I looked left to the pilot’s hands to see if he was going to level us first. I would give him exactly one second before I’d yell, “My plane!” I know, this is a supremely dumb idea. My brain was very much in “don’t-die” mode. Thankfully, he didn’t freeze up. He flew the airplane out of the situation that he got us into.

We climbed out as the controller gathered himself and offered a different type of IFR approach. I didn’t understand this exchange. What are we using? To this day I have no idea how he was navigating. Whatever was offered by the concerned controller was declined.

We rose above the clouds and were silent. Neither of us wanted to talk about what had just happened, so I asked him to go back to McClellan.

“Can’t. Not enough fuel,” the pilot responded.

I asked if we could declare an emergency and land at Travis Air Force Base (KSUU). That runway has to be a mile wide and 3 miles long.

“No,” he said.

What? Why would we depart Sacramento and into Napa’s fog with a thimble full of jet fuel?

We had to go back in for another try. I was not excited about this, so I just shut my mouth and did my best to spot the runway. Due to the stress of the situation, I have little recollection of that landing other than the controller talking him through it and, in a wise act of self-preservation, reminding him that the go-around procedure is to the left.

I learned about flying from that. Know your pilot. That was the last day I ever flew with or talked to him. And I never received an invoice.

The next lesson about flying regarded the airplane, not the pilot. The pilot was new to me, and lessons learned, I asked many questions about him and those who knew and recommended him. He was an instructor, A&P mechanic, military, commercial, with tens of thousands of hours over the decades. This was no hobby; this was his career. However, the airplane he was going to fly was a recent JetProp-converted Malibu. All the pilots talked about how fast and fun it was to fly. The giant exhaust sticking out of the cowling and expansive glass cockpit won me over.

He flew me from Truckee to Bakersfield, California (KBFL), so I could test a race car at the track in nearby Buttonwillow. The flight down was fast and comfortable for a solo passenger. When the day at the track was done, I made my way back to Bakersfield and climbed into the JetProp. The pilot did his walk-arounds, safety checks, and used checklists. I like this guy. We took off into the moonless black night over central California and left the lights of Bakersfield behind. I was tired, so I sat in the rear-facing seat and kicked my legs up. I was looking at the scattered lights of a few farmhouses far below. It was dark. It seemed too dark. I then noticed that there were no lights on the wingtip.

That’s odd.

I looked over my shoulder to the pilot and saw no lights on the panel either. He was digging through his duffle, so I used my phone to light the cockpit. He grabbed a flashlight and a hand-held radio and visually swept the panel. A lone old-school artificial horizon was installed to the far right of the new glass panel. It was in the worst possible position for a single pilot in the left seat, flying on a moonless night over dark farmland.

The pilot calmly radioed an emergency and climbed higher to give us the best possible chances if the engine stopped turning. Unfortunately, the radio was low on batteries, so he could only make a short call before it died. He would leave it off for a bit and then turn it back on for a short transmission.

He continued to fly the airplane, scan the instruments with his flashlight, and try to restart the electrical system to no avail. He kept calm despite some (actually, a lot of) sweat. The emergency gear extension knob was used, and two clunks were heard—but not three. He turned the radio back on and requested a flyby to see if the nose gear was actually down. As he approached the tower, the emergency lights on the runway lit up the night as fire trucks and ambulances staged themselves along the taxiways.

The tower controllers apparently didn’t know where we were, and we flew right by in the dark and didn’t get a gear-down affirmation signal. I assumed radar would tell them where we were, but it didn’t seem like they were able to see us. The pilot kept scanning the panel, flying the airplane, and checking altitude to ensure that we were still within glide distance of the airport. As he flew the pattern it was eerily dark, so I stared at my phone and contemplated texting my wife.

He flew a perfect approach. As we descended over the sea of emergency lights, he held the airplane a few feet off the runway and landed long in order to bleed speed then gently set down on the mains. He then held the nosewheel up until he could gently set it down. Like butter. The gear held. I clearly had the right pilot for the situation. We taxied off the runway, and he shut down the engine on the taxiway—and it got very dark around us once again.

The downside to landing long is that no one saw us. The controllers would later share that they assumed we were down out in the dark desert. The runway was so long and wide, this tiny unlit airplane was easy to miss as it landed long right down the center while they were scanning the skies.

Someone radioed to the emergency crews that they thought they saw someone. All the emergency trucks started racing down the taxiways. The pilot yelled for the first time. “Get out of the airplane! They don’t see us!”

After all this, we were about to be run over by one or more well-meaning, 70,000-pound fire trucks. We ran from the airplane into the grass as their lights finally spotted our darkened plane, and they slammed on their brakes.

I rented a Nissan Sentra and drove the six hours home.

I had vetted the pilot but did not vet the airplane beyond admiring the panel and that sexy exhaust. A short had killed its generator, inverter, and battery. I should not have chosen to fly on a recently converted airplane until hundreds of flight hours had passed.

Passengers should educate themselves to vet both plane and pilot. The admiration and trust we have for both is well earned but should not be universally applied.

This column first appeared in the May 2024/Issue 948 of FLYING’s print edition.

The post Everyone Should Pay Close Attention in the Cockpit appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Initially known as the Eclipse Concept Jet, or ECJ, the 4,700-pound jet was intended to gauge market interest for a compact, four-place “personal jet,” and would have complemented Eclipse’s primary offering—the larger, six-place Eclipse 500. With their hands full with Eclipse 500 production, the company turned to a firm called Swift Engineering to engineer and build the smaller 400.

On one hand, the project was relatively straightforward, at least compared to a clean-sheet design. Swift would begin with a standard Eclipse 500, shrinking the cabin, redesigning everything aft of the wing, and maintaining 60 percent commonality with the existing jet. But on the other hand, the deadline was extremely tight, and the project would have to be completed in record time.

Using NASA’s secure Wallops Island facility on the Virginia coastline, the team got to work. Only 200 days later, the Concept Jet flew for the first time. Three weeks after the first flight, it flew to Oshkosh, Wisconsin, to be unveiled at EAA AirVenture 2007.

During the unveiling, Eclipse founder Vern Raburn announced that the $1.35 million aircraft ($1.8 million today) would initially be made available only to existing Eclipse 500 customers. He touted the jet’s efficiency, claiming a fuel burn of 45.5 gph at 350 knots. For comparison, Daher’s six-place TBM 960 turboprop will burn 57 gph at 308 knots, and the seven-place Cirrus SF50 Vision Jet burns around 65 gph at 300 knots.

The design similarities between the Cirrus and the Eclipse were perhaps more a function of convergent design as opposed to inspiration. Faced with the requirement to develop a single-engine jet, there are only so many places to position the engine, and every option naturally requires placement along the centerline of the fuselage. Because internal volume was a priority, it would have made little sense to stuff the fuselage full of engine and intake ducting. And in the interest of utilizing smaller and lighter landing gear, there would have been no space for a ventral engine slung beneath the belly.

A dorsal engine mounted atop the fuselage, therefore, was the only remaining option. There were multiple ways to keep the tail surfaces clear of the hot engine exhaust, including a H-tail or a Skymaster-esque twin-boom arrangement. Ultimately, both Cirrus and Eclipse/Swift found the V-tail configuration solved the problem in the lightest and most elegant manner. Looking at the two side-by-side, it becomes evident that the smaller, sleeker Eclipse is the sports sedan equivalent, and the larger, bulkier Cirrus is the SUV, complete with a third row of seats.

Despite garnering substantial interest and reportedly attracting nearly 100 deposits in the year following its unveiling, the Eclipse 400 program would progress no further. Eclipse’s business and financial woes would prove to become insurmountable, and bankruptcy, liquidation, and restructuring would relegate the sleek V-tail jet to a quiet corner of an Albuquerque hangar.     

There it remains to this day. Some parts have been taken from it to keep Eclipse 500s flying, but it is otherwise intact and could theoretically fly again one day. Given the realities of economics and liability, however, this seems unlikely. 

Whatever its ultimate fate, one hopes it won’t be dumped at a scrapper and destroyed. With any luck, it will eventually be donated to a museum, where future generations can appreciate it for what it is—a striking example of clever engineering and huge optimism for a market that wasn’t quite there at the time. 

The post The Little Eclipse Concept Jet That Almost Was appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

For pilots with growing families (or golfing buddies they want to take along on trips), a six-seat airplane can make perfect sense. You’ll be able to carry most everything you need, the costs typically don’t rise to astronomically high levels for a used step-up airplane and you’ll probably even be able to fly a little faster, higher and farther in the higher-performance model.

A used six-seater such as a Beech Bonanza or Cessna 206 might also be the ideal step-down airplane for a pilot who flies, say, a TBM but can no longer justify the costs of fuel, maintenance, hangar and insurance. You can still take the spouse and kids, but you’ll be able to rest easier knowing your costs of ownership are greatly reduced.

Either way, a used six-seat airplane — whether a piston single or twin, a turboprop or even a light jet — can offer exceptional utility and, with the current state of the used-plane market, often a great value as well.

Here are our choices for the best used six-seaters your money can buy.

BEST USED PISTON SINGLES

Beechcraft Bonanza A36 (above)

Beech produced several variants of the Bonanza over the years, but the A36 reigns supreme. Developed from the earlier Model 33, it features a 10-inch-longer fuselage, starboard rear double doors for the aft cabin and a 285 hp Continental IO-520-B engine. In 1979, Beech introduced a turbocharged version, the A36TC, with a three-blade propeller and the 300 hp turbocharged Continental TSIO-520-UB. The Model 36 remains in production to this day, upgraded in 2005 to the G36, an acknowledgement of its standard Garmin G1000 avionics system.

Typical Used Price: $100,000 to $375,000 Years Produced: 1970 to 2005 Engine: Continental IO-520-B (285 hp) MTOW: 3,600 pounds Standard Empty Weight: 2,100 pounds Useful Load: 1,500 pounds Cruise Speed (75 percent power): 170 ktas Max Range: 765 nm

Cessna 206 Stationair

You can think of the 206 Stationair as a flying SUV. Introduced in 1964, it was essentially a fixed-gear version of the popular Cessna 210 (also a worthy choice for used-plane buyers) with a redesigned wing and bigger flaps. Power originally came from a 285 hp Continental IO-520-A engine but was soon swapped out for the 300 hp Continental IO-520-F, which provides a max-takeoff-weight increase. A big clamshell door at the rear allows for loading of bulky objects, making the 206 a favorite of commercial operators. Cessna built the 206 until single-engine production stopped in 1986. After a 12-year hiatus, the Stationair returned to production with a Lycoming TIO-540 engine and is available as a new airplane today.

Typical Used Price: $100,000 to $225,000 Years Produced: 1964 to 1986 Engine: Continental IO-520-F (300 hp) MTOW: 3,600 pounds Standard Empty Weight: 1,850 pounds Useful Load: 1,750 pounds Cruise Speed (75 percent power): 145 ktas Max Range: 730 nm

Piper Cherokee Six

If the Cessna Stationair is the aerial equivalent of an SUV, you can compare the Piper Cherokee Six to a minivan. Introduced in 1965 as a longer and wider variation of the PA-28 airframe, the PA-32 Cherokee Six is more than 4 feet longer and 7 inches wider than its four-place cousins. In other words, it’s huge. It was originally powered by a 260 hp Lycoming O-540, but a fuel-injected 300 hp version of the engine soon became the preferred power plant. In 1980, the Cherokee Six morphed into the Piper Saratoga, which remains in production to this day.

Typical Used Price: $50,000 to $175,000 Years Produced: 1965 to 1980 Engine: Lycoming IO-540-K1A5 (300 hp) MTOW: 3,400 pounds Standard Empty Weight: 1,780 pounds Useful Load: 1,620 pounds Cruise Speed (75 percent power): 148 ktas Max Range: 700 nm

Piper Malibu Mirage

The PA-46 Malibu is the only pressurized piston single to make our list, and undoubtedly it’s the most refined as well. Introduced in 1983 as the PA-46-310P Malibu, its power came from the Continental TSIO-520-BE engine, rated at 310 hp. As the popularity of the new model grew, Piper introduced the PA-46-350P Malibu Mirage in 1988, which boasted a more powerful turbocharged Lycoming TIO-540-AE2A engine and a new wing. The model has remained in production ever since, becoming the Piper M350 in 2015.

Typical Used Price: $250,000 to $500,000 Years Produced: 1988 to 2015 Engine: Lycoming TIO-540-AE2A (350 hp) MTOW: 4,300 pounds Standard Empty Weight: 2,790 pounds Useful Load: 1,510 pounds Cruise Speed (75 percent power): 215 ktas Max Range: 980 nm

BEST USED PISTON TWINS

Beechcraft B55 Baron

Prices for used piston twins have plummeted for a variety of reasons — increased complexity and higher ownership costs chief among them — meaning they can be had for less money than many high-performance singles. If you’re in the market for a used light twin, let us suggest you consider the B55 Baron. A shorter version of the B58 that many know as the “baby Baron,” the B55 offers respectable useful loads that make it possible to carry a family of six, bags and enough fuel for four-hour legs with reserves. Best of all, the B55 sells for significantly less than a used B58, which remains in production as the Garmin G1000-equipped G58.

Typical Used Price: $75,000 to $175,000 Years Produced: 1964 to 1983 Engine: (2) Continental IO-470-L (260 hp) MTOW: 5,100 pounds Standard Empty Weight: 3,075 pounds Useful Load: 2,025 pounds Cruise Speed (75 percent power): 188 ktas Max Range: 830 nm

Piper Turbo Seneca II

The Piper Seneca II isn’t quite on par with the Beech Baron in terms of build quality or performance, but what it lacks in these areas it makes up for in operating economics and cost of ownership. Introduced in 1975 as the PA-34-200T, with turbocharged Continental TSIO-360-E or -EB engines, it offers improved handling and performance compared with the original Seneca I. In addition to its docile flying characteristics, the Seneca’s counterrotating engines eliminate the critical engine limitations of other light twins, making it more controllable in case of an engine failure.

Typical Used Price: $50,000¬to $150,000 Years Produced: 1975 to 1980 Engine: (2) Continental TSIO-360-E/EB (200 hp) MTOW: 4,570 pounds Standard Empty Weight: 2,840 pounds Useful Load: 1,730 pounds Cruise Speed (75 percent power): 167 ktas Max Range: 900 nm

Cessna 310R

Introduced in 1954, the 310 was Cessna’s first twin produced after World War II and made an immediate impact with its sleek looks and performance that easily beat out the best-selling light twin of the day, the Piper Apache. So popular was the 310 that it remained in production for 26 years. Early versions had five seats, with a sixth added in the 310G model introduced in 1962. The later 310R and T310R turbo models are the most desirable. The addition of three-blade props, a longer nose with a bigger baggage compartment and a 200-pound MTOW increase make it hard to beat.

Typical Used Price: $75,000 to $175,000 Years Produced: 1975 to 1980 Engine: (2) Continental TSIO-520 (285 hp) MTOW: 5,500 pounds Standard Empty Weight: 3,725 pounds Useful Load: 1,775 pounds Cruise Speed (75 percent power): 223 ktas Max Range: 840 nm

BEST USED TURBOPROPS

Piper Meridian

The Piper Meridian, based on the Malibu Mirage piston single, is perhaps the ideal entry-level turboprop. Benefiting from the legendary reliability, performance and operating economics of the Pratt & Whitney PT6A, it is an airplane many pilots of high-performance piston singles will step up to and feel right at home. Early models are fitted with Meggitt Magic avionics or, somewhat more recently, the Avidyne Entegra system. In 2010, Piper introduced G1000 to the Meridian. An STC lets buyers upgrade the gear in older airplanes to Garmin’s aftermarket G950 system. More recently the Meridian has morphed into two all-new versions, the M500 and M600.

Typical Used Price: $650,000 to $1.5 million Years Produced: 2002 to 2015 Engine: Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-42A (500 shp) MTOW: 5,100 pounds Standard Empty Weight: 3,400 pounds Useful Load: 1,700 pounds Cruise Speed (75 percent power): 260 ktas Max Range: 1,000 nm

TBM 700

People often forget that the sleek and sexy TBM 700 traces its lineage to Kerrville, Texas, the home of Mooney. In fact, TBM stands for “Tarbes-Mooney;” the TBM started as a joint development between Socata, which had its factory in Tarbes, France, and the storied American lightplane manufacturer, still based in Texas. The original TBM 700A featured Bendix/King avionics. It was replaced in 1999 by the 700B, which offered a larger rear door, an optional forward pilot door and increased gross weight. The TBM 700C1, which included a reinforced structure and other enhancements, was certified in 2003. The TBM 700C2, featuring new avionics and an increase in MTOW to 7,394 pounds, remained in production until the TBM 850 superseded it in 2006.

Typical Used Price: $750,000 to $1.25 million Years Produced: 1990 to 2005 Engine: Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-64 (700 shp) MTOW: 6,600 pounds Standard Empty Weight: 4,100 pounds Useful Load: 2,500 pounds Cruise Speed (75 percent power): 290 ktas Max Range: 1,350 nm

King Air C90

The King Air family ranks among the most successful general aviation airplanes of all time for good reason. With more than 6,000 produced, the planes define a category of big, reliable, economical twin turboprops. The six-seat King Air 90, introduced in 1964, has remained in continuous production for more than 50 years, and is sold today as the King Air C90GTx. In all, Beechcraft has produced 20 different models of the King Air 90. The one we like best is the C90, especially those that have undergone avionics retrofits and aftermarket performance upgrades. In 2005, Beech introduced the C90GT, the first of a greatly modernized version of the model, sold with highly capable Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 avionics.

Typical Used Price: $300,000 to $800,000 Years Produced: 1971 to 2005 Engine: PT6A-21 (550 SHP) or PTA6A-135 (750 SHP flat rated to 550 SHP) for the C90GT MTOW: 10,100 pounds Standard Empty Weight: 6580 pounds Useful Load: 3580 pounds Cruise Speed (75 percent power): 290 ktas Max Range: 1,350 nm

BEST USED JETS

Cessna Citation Mustang

The Citation Mustang is a Goldilocks kind of airplane if ever there was one. It represents Cessna’s attempt to create the industry’s first true personal jet, a powerful enticement for pilots moving up from the piston and turboprop ranks into the rarefied realm of jet routes and the upper flight levels. It’s not the biggest or the smallest VLJ, it doesn’t fly the fastest or go the farthest, but it’s an excellent all-around small jet for the money. With its G1000 cockpit, many move-up pilots will feel right at home in the Mustang’s front office. Owners we’ve spoken to say they love their airplanes.

Typical Used Price: $1 million to $2 million Years Produced: 2007 to present Engine: (2) Pratt & Whitney Canada PW615F (1,460 pounds of thrust each) MTOW: 8,730 pounds Standard Empty Weight: 5,600 pounds Useful Load: 3,130 pounds Cruise Speed: 340 KTAs Max Range: 1,170 NM

Cessna CJ1

The CJ1 is the follow-on to the successful Citation Jet series, offering all of the advantages of the original but with improved economy and performance that make it a worthy contender for those in the market for a six-seat jet. While previous Citations used a straight wing, Cessna upgraded the Citation Jet with a natural-laminar-flow wing, providing improved lift-to-drag characteristics for greater speed and efficiency. Its fuel-efficient Williams engines make it a standout in the light-jet segment. Its standard avionics package is the Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 system.

Typical Used Price: $775,000 to $1.75 million Years Produced: 1998 to 2005 Engine: (2) Williams/Rolls FJ44-1A (1,900 pounds of thrust each) MTOW: 10,600 pounds Standard Empty Weight: 6,770 pounds Useful Load: 3,830 pounds Cruise Speed: 377 ktas Max Range: 1,121 nm

Eclipse 500

The original Eclipse Aviation, founded by Vern Raburn, is no longer around, but before the company went bankrupt it built more than 200 of these diminutive jets in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Thanks to its fuel-efficient Pratt & Whitney PW610F engines, the Eclipse 500 burns less than 70 gallons of jet fuel per hour, giving it a lower cost per nautical mile than many turboprops. It’s small on the inside, with about half the interior volume of a King Air 90 and a payload with max fuel of about 500 pounds. If you can live with the compromises, the Eclipse is a great little personal jet. Today, One Aviation, a corporate joining of the re-emergent Eclipse Aerospace and single-engine-turboprop developer Kestrel, supports the airplane and sells new airplanes based on the original.

Typical Used Price: $600,000 to $1 million Years Produced: 2006 to 2008 Engine: (2) Pratt & Whitney Canada PW610F (900 pounds of thrust each) MTOW: 5,950 pounds Standard Empty Weight: 3,550 pounds Useful Load: 2,400 pounds Cruise Speed: 360 ktas Max Range: 1,125 nm

Embraer Phenom 100

The Phenom 100 broke new ground for Embraer, which was known more for its regional jets than business jets at the height of the VLJ craze a decade ago. Though it’s often pitted as a competitor to the Citation Mustang, the Phenom 100 belongs more in the class of Cessna’s CJ1+. With its Prodigy flight deck, based on the G1000 avionics system, it’s a single-pilot-friendly twinjet and a joy to fly.

Typical Used Price: $1.75 million to $2.25 million Years Produced: 2007 to present Engine: (2) Pratt & Whitney Canada PW617 (1,730 pounds of thrust each) MTOW: 10,580 pounds Standard Empty Weight: 7,195 pounds Useful Load: 3,385 pounds Cruise Speed: 380 ktas Max Range: 1,178 nm

The post Best Used Six Seaters appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

A new lease on life is always welcome. One Aviation said last week the FAA had granted it just that by extending the structural life limit on the Eclipse 500 and 550 from 10,000 to 20,000 flight hours or 20,000 cycles, whichever occurs first.

The change applies to all airframes with the extended tip tank modification that One Aviation’s president Ken Ross told Flying, “applies to virtually every Eclipse aircraft flying.” The update evolved after a long-term fatigue and damage test tolerance effort on both the aircraft structure and materials. The life limit change is automatic to existing and future Eclipse Jet owners, with no additional action necessary beyond continuing to perform the required structural inspections.

The previous 10,000-flight hour limit included a 10,000-cycle, as well as a 10-year limit. One Aviation said the new life limits apply only to U.S. “N” registered aircraft although the company is working with aviation authorities in other regions of the world to extend the life of all Eclipse aircraft.

The post FAA Approves Structural Life Limit Increase for Eclipse 500/550 appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

When Alan Klapmeier and his brother Dale certified the Cirrus SR-20 in 1998, it wasn’t long before customers began asking, “What’s next?” The answer in 2000 was the SR-22.

Today, One Aviation CEO Alan Klapmeier announced the next evolutionary product in the Eclipse aircraft line, code named Project Canada, with speed, range and climb performance the primary focus of the new airplane. Project Canada will, according to Klapmeier, fly an honest 1,400 nm trip with three people on board, using maximum cruise thrust. “No one ever pulls the power back in jets anyway,” he told Flying.

At first glance, the airframe will look familiar, but gone are the tip tanks, replaced by small upturned wingtips. Although there is no firm commitment at the moment, the new Eclipse powerplant should be the Pratt & Whitney Canada 615, producing 1,175 pounds of thrust. While the aircraft’s interior remains essentially the same as the 550’s, the cockpit will be powered by the Garmin G3000 avionics suite, although an IS&S avionics system remains an option.

The bigger motors will translate into improved takeoff and climb performance, especially in hot and high conditions. Climb rates up to the airplane’s new service ceiling of 43,000 feet are expected to double from those of the 550. Although maximum cruise speed won’t increase significantly, the faster climb rates to thin air will help deliver the aircraft’s nearly 40 percent increase in range. For a 1,000 nm trip, that also means a payload increase of about 350 pounds.

The wing on the new aircraft will change in order to hold all that fuel, “4 feet at the wing root,” according to Klapmeier. The maximum weight of Project Canada should settle out at about 6,900 pounds, a figure Klapmeier said will increase the complexity of the certification some. He expects a prototype to be flying in about a year, with certification following in 2018.

One Aviation’s offering a special price for the new aircraft of $3.495 million, a slight increase from tab for the Eclipse 550. An order today requires a $100,000 escrow deposit to hold a delivery slot. “If we miss our certification date, we’ll give back the entire deposit,” Klapmeier said.

To sweeten the deal, the CEO said the company will sell a Project Canada customer a new Eclipse 550 today to fly until their aircraft is ready. “When it is, we’ll buy back their 550 for exactly what the customer pays for it today.”

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With Avio IFMS, the new company has come a long way from the Eclipse 500‘s original avionics system. Specifically designed for the Eclipse very light jet by avionics supplier Innovative Solutions & Support, Avio IFMS comes equipped with coupled WAAS/LPV approaches, XM Satellite Weather and a variety of other features.

To date, more than 100 costumers have signed up to participate in the AVIO IFMS completion program and over a dozen jets have already been delivered with the new system.

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As was the case with other systems, the avionics package originally specified in the Eclipse 500 jet was a remarkably ambitious concept for any jet, let alone a very light, sub-million-dollar model. At the time, Eclipse was the avionics integrator and Avidyne Corp. the main supplier. The system Eclipse came up with gave the avionics package control of every imaginable system as part of the company’s plan to create a cockpit unlike any other. Avio even did away with circuit breakers, using an all-electronic version instead. But Eclipse could never deliver a complete system. As originally certified, the 500’s capabilities were embarrassingly spare. It lacked even GPS.

With Avio IFMS, those days are gone. The system from the new company includes autopilot-coupled vertical and lateral navigation with LPV approaches, required navigation performance, victor airways, holding patterns and procedure turns. XM satellite weather with graphical freezing levels and winds aloft, and Jeppesen’s electronic charts, can be overlaid on the moving map. Located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Eclipse Aerospace provides engineering, service and support for the fleet of 260 Eclipse jets in operation. With a recent cash infusion from Sikorsky, resumption of production of the twin-engine jet is more likely, though no timeline has been established.

“We’ll be ready as soon as the market is ready,” says Mason Holland, CEO.

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