It is a good bet there will be no formal ceremony when Eclipse delivers aircraft number two. "If it causes [Vern Raburn, president and chief executive of Eclipse Aviation] to slow down one iota from the work he's doing, I'd rather not do it," jokes Ed Iacobucci, president and chief executive of DayJet, owner of the second Eclipse 500.
Iacobucci needs 12 of the very light jets (VLJ) to jump-start his Part 135 air-taxi service in the south-eastern USA in the second quarter. The dozen aircraft - the beginnings of a fleet that could ultimately number 239 - will operate from five "DayPorts" in Florida.
Although DayJet had expected its first delivery by the end of November, Iacobucci says the delays are "within the boundaries" of the buffer he had built into the schedule. The company had planned to operate under Part 91 for several months, offering demonstration flights for customers and "building up a little bit of buzz" until Eclipse had made avionics upgrades necessary for the aircraft to operate under Part 135. Iacobucci says he is "still waiting for a couple of things from Eclipse" in terms of aircraft conformity for Part 135.
Source: Flight International
