Europe certifies Eclipse 500

December 1, 2008
Aircraft

Albuquerque, N.M.-based Eclipse Aviation on November 21 received European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) type certification for the Eclipse 500. The approval is for private flights only, the EASA clarified, and Eclipse expects to receive EU-OPS 1 certification for commercial operations next year.

The certification is valid for VFR and IFR operations, including RVSM and flight into known icing. The EASA requires Eclipse 500s to be equipped with the Avio NG 1.5 avionics suite and some equipment specific to European operations, such as dual mode-S transponders and a third attitude indicator.

The agency also mandates, for European-registered Eclipse 500s, several FAA Airworthiness Directives regarding fuel filler adapters, thrust levers and pitot/angle-of-attack probes. The manufacturer applied for EASA certification in 2003.

In tandem with the EASA announcement, Eclipse said it received FAA approval for the Eclipse 500’s upgraded Avio NG Total Aircraft Integration avionics system featuring dual Garmin GPS 400Ws. The upgraded avionics suite adds Rnav, coupled GPS/Rnav lateral navigation capability, coupled precision and non-precision approach capability and various other software upgrades.

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