LOOP News

7 SEP 07: ECLIPSE FIRST VLJ CARRIER

First commercial flight by Eclipse 500 VLJ

First paying flight for the Eclipse 500 VLJ. Pilot Ken Ross flew Ben Klein, CEO of Upstairs Solutions, on a round-trip from Chicago to Baltimore.

THE Eclipse 500 Very Light Jet has made its first commercial flight! But it wasn't with Florida-based DayJet, the all-new air taxi service who is Eclipse's biggest customer. The flight was by the little known North American Jet Centre (NAJC).

The flight, from Chicago to Baltimore with two passengers and two pilots, caught Eclipse Aviation by surprise, according to CharterX, an industry website.

CharterX said, "Eclipse was uncharacteristically quiet about North American's achievement, which, after all, was the culmination of eight years of work by the start-up manufacturer and its founder Vern Raburn."
The first paid flight was on 17 August, with the CEO of North American Jet Centre, Ken Ross, as pilot-in-command, and Ed Lavigne as co-pilot. Both are type-rated in the Eclipse 500. The passengers were Ben Klein, CEO of Up Stairs Solutions, and company executive Tamar Abell, reported CharterX.
"The flight was awesome!" Klein told CharterX after landing. "Both Ken and Ed did a marvellous job. Obviously, they're both experienced pilots.

"This is the first time I've been in an Eclipse 500. The whole experience was better than I thought it would be. The four hours total in flying time - getting to my business meeting and back - was perfect. I was surprised at how much room we had in back - the aircraft was comfortable and it had the smell of a new car. It was great!"

Klein, whose business employs more than 1300 people, has also purchased an Eclipse 500 which isn't due for delivery for several months. That aircraft will be operated by NAJC.

NAJC boss and pilot Ken Ross says he'd like to double his fleet by the end of the year. "We're looking at other VLJs, too, he told CharterX.

"Currently, outside of the EA-500, we manage Learjet A35s, a Citation 680 and a King Air F90. We expect to have 10 to 15 Eclipse 500s under management, too. We're serious about growing out charter fleet, aircraft management and aircraft acquisition services."

Meanwhile, the operational launch of DayJet is imminent. It now has eight Eclipse 500s on its fleet - and a total order of 1400 Eclipse 500s.

W: www.najet.net
W: www.charterx.com
W: www.dayjet.com

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LOOP News

7 SEP 07: ECLIPSE FIRST VLJ CARRIER