Eclipse Aviation will open seven factory-owned service centers to try to achieve the goal of having a maintenance facility within 1.5 flying hours of any Model 500 customer location in the U.S.
The state of New York provided a $1.5 million grant to the airport to assist in building a new hangar for the Eclipse service center and for runway access and airport infrastructure. Empire State Development contributed $100,000 in grant money to help pay for the cost of machinery and equipment for the facility, which will be located south of the Million Air FBO terminal.
Eclipse Aviation is adding a new level to its JetComplete support program, called JetComplete Business. Now there are two levels for the support program, JetComplete, designed for the individual Model 500 owner and JetComplete Business for corporate flight departments and charter or fleet operators that fly their Eclipses 250 to 1,500 flight hours per year. JetComplete Business costs $199 per flight hour or $149,250 for three years, both pre-paid at the time of airplane purchase. A pay-as-you-fly plan is also available for $219 per flight hour, paid monthly based on actual usage. Options include $94 per flight hour engine hot section and overhaul event coverage and life cycle fatigue engine components coverage for $19 per hour. Minimum commitment is 750 flight hours and price is guaranteed for three years. JetComplete, said Eclipse Aviation president and CEO Vern Raburn, "takes away the variability of aircraft ownership."