Eclipse 500 Update

I had a long conversation with Dean Kantis last week about his company Micro Jet Positions and he provided me with a lot of insight on the Eclipse 500 and the Very Light Jet (VLJ) market.

I went to Cincy a few weeks ago to take a first hand look at the Eclipse 500 and met a lot of very knowledgable people. Not the sales people, the people looking at the aircraft. In particluar John Warrington, an asset protection manager in Cincy.

The take aways that I got from talking with these fine gentleman are:

• People are definitely excited about affordable jet ownership. At this price point, someone who was going to spend $1 million plus on a Beech Baron (one of my personal favs) may be just as happy to buy a 1/2 or 1/4 interest in an Eclipse 500 and also buy a DA-40 or SR-22. Most of the "fun" flying could be accomplished in the smaller aircraft, while longer trips or trips for business could be accomplished in the 500.
  
• The Eclipse 500 has a nice ramp presence, but I'd like to see it parked next to a C90GT.
• Eclipse hasn't figured out how to handle the customer experience. I waited in line to look at this thing longer in Cincinatti (over an hour) than I did last year in Orlando at the NBAA ten minutes, tops).
  
• The feel of the interior is much nicer than I expected. But, it is probably a four person aircraft as opposed to the advertised five. The right hand passenger seat had zero leg room and would be cramped for a long ride.
• One of the most impressive features - especially for the safety of owner/operators is the weight and balance calculator that is built into the flight management system.
  
• Overall, I think Eclipse has hit the nail right on the head - the Citation Mustang will be tough competition but it almost twice the price.