Engine Troubles Stall Eclipse Jet Test Flights
Sunday, October 20, 2002
Engine Troubles Stall Eclipse Jet Test Flights
By Aaron Baca
Copyright © 2002 Albuquerque Journal
Journal Staff Writer
Eclipse Aviation had planned as many as 15 test flights of its new business jet by now.
Instead, the jet has been grounded because of problems discovered after its first flight in late August.
Flights are expected to resume after the arrival of additional engines and components this week, according to Oliver Masefield, Eclipse's vice president of engineering.
Eclipse engineers decided to ground the jet after the engine starters and some fuel control components showed excessive wear, Masefield said in an interview with the Journal.
"In early testing, you're bound to have problems," he said, adding that the recent snags shouldn't hinder Eclipse's overall timeframe.
The maiden flight of the Eclipse 500 was completed in late August. The company's test pilot flew the jet on an hourlong circuit south of Albuquerque that took the plane to an altitude of about 10,000 feet and a speed of about 145 mph.