The second Eclipse Aviation Eclipse 500 has entered flight testing as certification of the six-seat very light jet gathers pace at the airframer's Albuquerque, New Mexico base. The Pratt & Whitney Canada PW610F-powered aircraft, serial number N502EA, flew for the first time on 14 April, and will be used to test aerodynamics and structures, says Eclipse and will initially carry out air data calibration, flight envelope expansion and flutter tests. The first test aircraft entered flight testing last December and has amassed over 23h during 18 flights, says Eclipse, which is planning to manufacture seven pre-production aircraft, including five flight-test aircraft. Certification is scheduled for the first quarter of next year.
Source: Flight International
