Eclipse 400

Eclipse ECJ / 400
Role	Civil utility aircraft
Manufacturer	Eclipse Aviation
Designer	Swift Engineering & Eclipse Aviation
First flight	July 2, 2007
Status	Project cancelled after company bankrupted.
Number built	One prototype
Developed from	Eclipse 500

The Eclipse 400 (formerly ECJ) is a single-engine very light jet that was designed by Eclipse Aviation, producer of the Eclipse 500.

The Eclipse 400 was cancelled when the company went bankrupt in 2008 and development has not been pursued by Eclipse Aerospace, the company that bought Eclipse Aviation's assets.

The Eclipse 400 was first publicly unveiled on 23 July 2007 at AirVenture as the Eclipse Concept Jet (ECJ). The aircraft was intended to compete with the Cirrus Vision SF50, the Piper PA-47 PiperJet, the Epic Victory, and the Diamond D-Jet in the single-engine jet market. The Eclipse 400 design featured one engine, four seats and a V-tail similar to the Cirrus Jet.

The four-seat prototype, registered N5184U, is powered by a single Pratt & Whitney Canada PW610F turbofan, first flown on 2 July 2007. It was built in complete secrecy at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia by Swift Engineering, BaySys Technologies. The prototype aircraft has 60% parts commonality with its larger Eclipse 500 sibling.

At the time of its announcement the company said that the aircraft would have an expected cruise speed of 345 kn (639 km/h) at 41,000 ft (12,497 m) with an IFR range of 1,250 nmi (2,315 km). The aircraft was designed for a 4,800 lb (2,177 kg) gross weight, 2,480 lb (1,125 kg) empty weight, 2,000 lb (907 kg) useful load and a fuel capacity of 1,261 lb (572 kg).

When the prototype was initially unveiled the company said that it did not intend to produce the aircraft.

Eclipse CEO Vern Raburn said:

On 30 May 2008, Eclipse Aviation began taking orders for a production version of the ECJ, the Eclipse 400. The 400 was at that time priced at $1.35 million and deliveries were expected to begin by the fourth quarter in 2011.

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Wikipedia