Eclipse Aviation

Eclipse Aviation

Eclipse Aviation Corporation was the Albuquerque, New Mexico-based manufacturer of the Eclipse 500 very light jet (VLJ) and also at one time proposed developing the Eclipse 400 single-engined jet.

The company was founded in 1998 by former Microsoft employee Vern Raburn. Due to Raburn's relationship with Microsoft, Bill Gates was a major stake-holder in the Eclipse project.

Production of the Eclipse 500 was halted in mid-2008 due to lack of funding. The company entered an unsuccessful Chapter 11 bankruptcy in November 2008, which was converted into a Chapter 7 bankruptcy liquidation procedure in February 2009. In the final Chapter 7 procedure, completed on 20 August 2009, there was only one bidder, a new company formed to acquire the assets, Eclipse Aerospace.

Eclipse operated service centers at Albuquerque, Gainesville Regional Airport, Florida and at Albany International Airport, New York.