After months of working in secret, the folks at Eclipse Aircraft chose EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2007 to introduce their take on a single-engine four-place jet currently dubbed the Eclipse Concept Jet. Photo by Dave Higdon

Eclipse Aviation, the aircraft manufacturer that introduced the VLJ (very light jet) concept with its Eclipse 500, unveiled a proof-of-concept personal jet at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh yesterday morning. Incorporating many components of the Eclipse 500, the Eclipse Concept Jet (ECJ) is a single-engine, four-place aircraft featuring a V-tail empennage and a turbofan engine mounted on a pod atop the rear of the fuselage. It is projected to have a maximum cruise speed of 345 knots, a 41,000-foot-service ceiling, and a 1,250-nautical-mile range with instrument flight rules reserves. The aircraft was flown to Wittman Regional Airport the night before the unveiling.

"Well, what do you think?" Vern Raburn, Eclipse Aviation’s president and CEO asked assembled journalists and onlookers as he stepped out of the jet, which he taxied to the unveiling from the opposite side of the runway. "We did it again."

"This is not a product launch," Raburn stressed at remarks inside the company’s display tent, positioning the ECJ as a "concept" aircraft in the spirit of the concept cars automakers have long created

to showcase new technology. However, Raburn said over the next 12 months the company will judge market interest and make a decision whether to proceed with development of the ECJ for production.

"We want to learn what the market says," said Raburn. If the company proceeds with production, Raburn said the ECJ’s price tag would be in the $1 million range.

The Albuquerque-based company began deliveries of the twin-engine Eclipse 500 late last year. Meanwhile, the VLJ market Eclipse helped spawn has spurred the development of the single-engine "personal jet" (PJ), aimed at the owner-flown market. Manufacturers Cirrus Design, Diamond Aircraft, Epic Aircraft, and Piper Aircraft have announced plans to build and sell PJs. The PJs these companies have designed have lower service ceilings and top speeds than traditional jets, in contrast to the projected performance of the ECJ.

"We’re really excited about the single-engine jet concept," said Raburn. "This represents our concept of what a single-engine jet should be."

The ECJ was designed with an eye toward escalating fuel prices. In a world of $6-per-gallon Jet A, which is where many think fuel prices are going, Eclipse views low fuel consumption as critical to commercial success.

"It’s not a big aircraft; it’s not a flying SUV, if you will," Raburn said.

Commenting on the small interior, Raburn quoted Learjet developer Bill Lear’s observation that people can’t stand up in a Cadillac, but still buy them.

Swift Engineering of San Clemente, California, assisted with the design and construction of the ECJ. It uses the same engine, wing, integrated Avio NG electronic controls, and many other systems as the Eclipse 500, which will save development time and money if the company proceeds with the project. Maximum takeoff weight is projected at 4,480 pounds with a useful load of 2,000 pounds.

In an industry rife with inquisitive aficionados and swirling rumors of new developments, the ECJ took the assembled media and AirVenture attendees by complete surprise. The ECJ was developed at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, chosen in part for its rigid security. The ECJ program is also notable in having gone from clean sheet to first flight in 200 days. Initial design began in mid-January of this year, and the first flight was conducted on July 2. Thus far the aircraft has accumulated 27.5 hours of flight time.

"As you know, Oshkosh is in many, many ways kind of the home of the Eclipse," Raburn said. "We introduced the airplane for the first time here in 2000, we’ve introduced a lot of innovations here, the whole concept of VLJs all started here in Oshkosh, so it’s only appropriate that we would choose AirVenture Oshkosh as the place to introduce yet another concept and another innovation."

The ECJ and a mock-up of the fuselage and interior are on display all week at the Eclipse Aviation display area just west of AeroShell Square.