Eclipse jet certified to fly in icy conditions

The Federal Aviation Administration has granted certification for the Eclipse 500 jet to fly in icy conditions.

Eclipse Aviation Corp. has done extensive testing since last year on its six-seat, twin-engine, very light jet to achieve the FAA's stamp of approval, called Flight Into Known Icing certification, said CEO Vern Raburn.

"This certification process is one of the most difficult things to put a new model of aircraft through," Raburn said. "We tested the aircraft in some of the most severe weather conditions we could find, wherever we could find it. By receiving the FAA certification, we proved that the aircraft can withstand known icing conditions in a real-world operating environment with no structural changes required of the air frame."

Eclipse, based in Albuquerque, conducted its first test flight with an artificial ice shape in August 2007. Since then, more than 300 flight hours on three test aircraft have been recorded, including more than 60 hours in natural icing conditions in many locations in the U.S. and Canada.

This year, Eclipse Aviation opened its northeast service center at Albany International Airport for its new Eclipse 500. The Albany, N.Y., location is one of three service centers for the small passenger jet, a new generation of aircraft known as very light jets, which sell for $1.5 million.

http://www.bizjournals.com/albany/stories/2008/06/23/daily27.html

Fonte: Filght Safety Information 26/06/2008