Your take on VLJ's?

Did you guys have bad weather early evening? It was scheduled to leave at 17.14 but did not. Flight plan shows 20.18 departure today the 26th. I first thought it may be one of Blink's but judging by the paint scheme it isn't. Blink's paint schemes are simple but man are they eye popping.

 

http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd208/robbreid/DSC_0121-2.jpg

FlightAware Flight Tracker Yes, the weather has been very windy, with rain all around us. They filed to leave tomorrow as well, but ended up leaving today at 15:00.

No idea where this one is headed.

The one I want to see, is 510-0120 N1RD owner Robert Duncan, of Duncan Aviation in Lincoln Nebraska. It was delivered last week, and so I've heard, has a wild paint job! No idea what it looks like yet?

I live in Toronto, so far there are 13 Canadian ordered Mustangs, none delivered yet. However the Canadian dollar is down 25 cents over the last year, that is basically adding 600K + to the purchase price - yikes!!!

 

Blinks website

Blinks first Mustang already had nice paint, which they repainted in Blinks colors;

http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd208/robbreid/C510-273N327CM.jpg 510-0027 N327CM

http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd208/robbreid/C510-27G-FBLK.jpg 510-0027 repainted now G-FBLK

 

I get LOTS of Mustang demos, and really citations in general over my house. I sit under 19L at ICT a few miles out, which is the preferred runway if going to the cessna service center so as not to taxi as much. On summer nights bbq-ing we pick out who's who flying over.

 

Yeah, Mustangs are still fairly rare. There are 95 on the US register, but about 25 of those live outside the USA.

I attended the Oshawa Exposition at CYOO (East of Toronto) earlier this year, and saw both my first Mustang and first Eclipse.
They were parked at opposite ends of the airfield. I don't think they wanted the Eclipse anywhere near the Mustang, the EA500 looks 'tiny' compared to the Cessna!!!

http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd208/robbreid/DSC_0076-2-1.jpg N22EM 510-0047

http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd208/robbreid/DSC_0021-2-1.jpg N545MA EA500-000144

Here are a couple of interesting photos;

http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd208/robbreid/C510-28N54PV.jpg N54PV 510-0028 Ground loop!!!

http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd208/robbreid/N333MY-1.jpg N333MY EA500-000103 off runway excursion!!!

 

Saw both at NBAA...the Eclipse people stood at the back of their exhibit. it was obvious they didn't want to be there. The mustang is a cabin class aircraft and not just jumping in through the pilots seat and make your way back. The Mustang seems much more professional in comparison.

What's the story on the last two photos with the whoopsies?

BJ

 

The Eclipse was landing on a runway which was too short, and he used improper technique-- and the Eclipse doesn't have the best brakes anyway. I don't know about the Mustang.

I think you're absolutely right about the Mustang's cabin-- it's just the right size. The Eclipse is much more a substitute for a Baron or an Aerostar.

 

Here are the details on N54PV Mustang that ground looped in Carlsbad back in April.

Aero-News report

and the details of N333MY EA500 FAA Preliminary Report.

control panel photo XA-BAT 510-0044 Mexican registered Mustang in LA for sale.

 

very interesting. Thanks for the update.

 

Unfortunately they are probably right. And the new Adams Aircraft (Russian Version) is virtually shut down too.

http://www.aero-news.net/index.cfm?ContentBlockID=e6fa9fb1-191e-4420-b8b9-54d770b1a467&Full=1

 

That was one of the reasons we switched to the mustang...didn't see eclipse going anywhere and that was many months ago. To be sure there were other things that raised our brow as well. Valiant attempt I say. I do think the EA500 will live on under a new name eventually...the design is ok (not outstanding).

 

I think Eclipse has already produced their last aircraft, although I'm not sure they delivered it (s/n 267). I don't think they'll build any aircraft in 2009, although they might finish up a couple of left overs from 2008.

Given their relationship with their vendors, particularly the vendor who builds the tail assemblies, it would be almost impossible for them to assemble any more aircraft. And since they don't have the best payment history, it's hard to imagine any new vendors getting on board.

 

Unfortunately with all the layoffs happening at Cirrus, their jet may not see the light of day for a long, long time. It and the Mustang wouldn't compete for the same customers generally. Two different classes of jet really, even if one considers them both VLJ's.

 

True, I believe cessna refers to it as an LJ instead of a VLJ. Cirrus is not much bigger than an eclipse either. It's not a cabin class aircraft, although in person the cirrus jet looked ok, just not roomy.

 

Eclipse has pulled out of this week's AOPA expo in San Jose without comment. Too bad, I think they are done. Like a previous poster mentioned they may reincarnate. Tough times are ahead.

 

If Sino Swearingen can reincarnate then certainly Eclipse would have an easier time finding backing. The biggest problem is always getting the Type Certificate. That Eclipse has it and a production operations should make them desirable to someone that wants to be in that market space. Either a new entrant or, as happened with Galaxy Aerospace, someone established that got another market segment for less than the development cost.

Jeff

 

And the Eclipse development investors left holding the bag. A few hundered million $$$$$$ down the drain.

p.s. I love the Sino Swearingen jet.

 

The Emivest swearingen is a nice aircraft no doubt. Crawled around in it at NBAA. Spoke with Hamish Harding from the UK, he raves about it but of course he's a dealer with 150 or so on order. Maybe with this infusion of capital they can make it work, who knows? It's not huge but it does look like it should have more seats than it does once you pop your head in...on a separate note, I did find out that to get those aircraft in the Convention Center they land them at Orlando Executive and tug them 12 miles on the highway at 2am while the roads are closed. All the aircraft have to be towed together in a row...what a sight that must be...man, I just saw a hondajet go by in the left lane...

In other news, I think we may base out of EWK. Jet A is $1.25 cheaper than anywhere in Wichita...got my attention. It's apparently cheap enough that many of the nascar guys stop to refuel quite a bit. We missed one of the LaBonte's by 20 minutes today.

Cheerio,
BJ

 

BJ,

Have you already explored a master fuel supply contract with World Fuel?

I would think that EWK may come with some negative labor and basing costs.

Jeff

 

actually not too bad on the basing costs as we figure we'll be relocating part of the time anyway...it seems you're never at the right airport, so we make it the right airport with cheap fuel...fyi, was quoted $3.37 today and local wichita companies were well over a buck more. The fuel contracts were going to come in a little bit more than what we were getting off the cuff at EWK. As far as labor we are doing all 3 programs with cessna anyway. We have a maintenance person, but it'll mainly be to log when certain items come due.

They are a hungry little airport. They wanted $500/mo for hangar and $800/mo for a 5000 sq ft building that is 1/2 offices 1/2 garage...crazy. Not to mention you can actually own your own building there. That's nowhere to be found in the wichita city limits.

BJ

 

Eclipse will have to go bankrupt so they can clean all of their books and start all over.....

Proven time and again is the old adage...."as a means of turning a large fortune into a small one, aviation has no equal..."

Sad part is, it wasn't a bad idea in it's original incarnation. It would have worked had the Williams engine done (in terms of fuel efficiency and thrust) what they promised. One of my engineers evaluated the concept early on using an aircraft synthesis program (look up Piano), and he said it woudn't work. In that size aircraft you would need more fuel and more power to push the fuel around the sky, assuming the kind of technology that we (the engine companies) were talking about at the time... When I came back from Oskosh with the first pictures of their compressor and back synthesized what the engine pressure ratio have had to be to make the airflow requirements from that physical size we pretty quickly figured out that it had to be a three spool engine with a high pressure ratio. Which would give you lower fuel flows and the aircraft pulled out of the weight/size/power death spiral. From that we concluded that what they were trying to do was possible if the engine worked (which we didn't think it would after seeing the compressor, due to Reynolds number effects).

When the engine didn't make power or SFC at altitude (apparently it made it's numbers on the ground, but at altitude it fell down), the whole thing went to hell in a handbasket. They went to the PW engine which burned more fuel, which made the airplane heavier, which then needed more thrust, which burned more fuel, which needed more wing, well you get the idea....... So a total redesign was required, which cost them time and big money..... There were other things too, like never making the cost bogies since there were a heck of lot of rivets in the airplane (where friction stir fry was going to save millions (not!)) and then when the cost got higher the market size went down, so the high production numbers weren't there....

Like I said above, aviation can consume capital faster than any industry that I know of, and the people who invested in Eclipse will likely lose almost all of theirs before they learn that expesive lesson. Somebody will buy the TC and make some more airplanes, but with the Mustang not costing all that much more and being, in my estimation, a real airplane, I just don't see much of a market for what ever will rise out of the ashes of Eclipse....

 

I appreciate that the eclipse made cessna make the mustang...at least that's how I understand it.