Eclipse Aviation Corporation Announces the Avio Intelligent Flight System for Eclipse 500 Jets.Business Editors First in Series of Disclosures on Avio Focuses on Electronics Architecture of Eclipse 500 Aircraft Eclipse Aviation Eclipse Aviation Corporation is an Albuquerque, New Mexico based manufacturer of the Eclipse 500 and Eclipse ECJ very light jets (VLJs). Founded in 1998 by former Microsoft employee Vern Raburn, the company employs about 1,300, which is more than twice the number from only a few Corporation today disclosed information on its Avio(TM) intelligent flight system. Avio is a comprehensive avionics avionics (ā'vēŏn`ĭks), electronic instruments used in air or space flight; also the design and production of such instruments. Early planes had few instruments, but as aviation and aircraft became more complex, so did instrumentation. and aircraft systems management package that delivers a higher level of integration and reliability than any business or commercial aircraft today. Avio is available exclusively on the Eclipse 500, as part of the aircraft's breakthrough $837,500 price. Avio takes advantage of today's digital electronics technology to place "intelligence" throughout the airplane airplane, aeroplane, or aircraft, heavier-than-air vehicle, mechanically driven and fitted with fixed wings that support it in flight through the dynamic action of the air. , which is controlled by redundant central aircraft computers that monitor and control the aircraft's systems. Avio replaces the dozens of expensive instruments and gauges typically found in today's airplanes with a streamlined glass cockpit A glass cockpit is an aircraft cockpit that features electronic instrument displays. A relatively recent development, glass cockpits are highly sought-after upgrades from traditional cockpits. that integrates multiple functions and is tied into the electronics systems throughout the aircraft. "Avio is one of the major innovations that make the low purchase price of the Eclipse 500 possible," said Vern Raburn, president and CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. of Eclipse Aviation. "Today's announcement just scratches the surface of what Avio will deliver. Avio is pervasive in the Eclipse 500 and will benefit many aspects of aircraft operation. We will unfold unfold - inline the complete story over the months to come." Avio's system management provides electronic control of the major systems on the aircraft, including full authority digital engine controls (FADEC FADEC Full Authority Digital Engine Control FADEC Full Authority Digital Electronic Control ), flight management system, communications, autopilot, auto-throttle, flaps, trim, landing gear and environmental systems. Flight controls and brakes are conventional. Extensive use of data buses allows large volumes of data to be shared among Avio's components. As a result, Avio displays one integrated picture of what the aircraft is doing, instead of many little pieces of information that must be assimilated and correlated by the pilot. Avio captures health-monitoring data from the Eclipse 500's systems, creating a history of the performance of each system. This allows problems to be potentially identified and fixed well before a system actually breaks. Because of the high level of redundancy in all subsystems, Avio provides the pilot with knowledge and situational awareness Situation awareness or situational awareness [1] (SA) is the mental representation and understanding of objects, events, people, system states, interactions, environmental conditions, and other situation-specific factors affecting human performance in even if an electronic component fails. All critical functions are duplicated, the components physically separated and powered by separate power buses and sources. Avio uses electronic circuit breakers Circuit breakers Measures instituted by exchanges to stop trading temporarily when the market has fallen by a certain percentage in a specified period. They are intended to prevent a market free fall by permitting buy and sell orders to rebalance. almost exclusively, delivering higher reliability and tighter tolerances than traditional mechanical circuit breakers. Extensive use of smart actuators and proximity switches instead of old technology micro switches further enhance Avio's reliability. As a result of extensive integration, Avio provides an extensive array of features as standard equipment in the $837,500 Eclipse 500 jet. The pilot interface aboard the Eclipse 500 is an all-glass cockpit that comes standard with two primary flight displays • • [ (PFD PFD abbr. personal flotation device ) and one multi-function display (MFD (MultiFunction Device) Hardware that combines several functions in one unit. See all-in-one. ). Dual keyboards control the PFDs and MFD. Avio Features for Pilots -- July 13, 2002 -- Eclipse Aviation Unveils Revolutionary Eclipse 500 Jet An audience of more than 1,500 customers, partners, investors, employees, local and aviation industry executives witnessed the first public viewing of the Eclipse 500 jet on July 13 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The Eclipse 500 is a six-person twin-engine jet aircraft enabling the creation of new forms of air travel that will provide much-needed alternatives to commercial airlines, ushering in an age where point-to-point private jet travel will be available to everyone at affordable prices. -- July 13, 2002 -- Eclipse Aviation Corporation Completes Fourth Round of Funding A fourth round of private equity funding in the amount of $18 million brought Eclipse Aviation Corporation's total amount of capital raised to date to $238 million. In addition to marking another program milestone, this cumulative funding is believed to make Eclipse Aviation the most highly funded aviation startup in history. Eclipse will provide enhancements to the Avio system, which can be incorporated easily and inexpensively via software installations, made possible by the open architecture on the Eclipse 500. Eclipse Aviation developed the Avio system in conjunction with partners, including Avidyne, Corporation, BAE Systems BAE Systems British manufacturer of aircraft, missiles, avionics, naval vessels, and other aerospace and defense products. BAE Systems was formed (1999) from the merger of British Aerospace (BAe) with Marconi Electronic Systems. and General Dynamics General Dynamics Corporation (NYSE: GD) is a defense conglomerate formed by mergers and divestitures, and as of 2006 it is the sixth largest defense contractor in the world[1]. The company has changed markedly in the post-Cold War era of defense consolidation. . About Eclipse Eclipse Aviation is in the business of designing, certifying and producing modern, affordable jet aircraft that will revolutionize rev·o·lu·tion·ize tr.v. rev·o·lu·tion·ized, rev·o·lu·tion·iz·ing, rev·o·lu·tion·iz·es 1. To bring about a radical change in: Television has revolutionized news coverage. 2. the transportation market. The company is applying revolutionary propulsion Propulsion The process of causing a body to move by exerting a force against it. Propulsion is based on the reaction principle, stated qualitatively in Newton's third law, that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. , manufacturing and electronics systems to produce aircraft that cost less than a third of today's small jet aircraft, will be significantly safer and easier to operate than those of today, and have the lowest cost of ownership ever achieved in a jet aircraft. The goal of Eclipse is to bring the word "personal" into aviation, making it possible for commercial air passengers to move directly between cities on a quick, affordable and convenient basis. It will also allow pilot owners to enter the world of jet-powered aviation. Contact Eclipse at http://www.eclipseaviation.com. Recent Eclipse News -- July 13, 2002 -- Eclipse Aviation Unveils Revolutionary Eclipse 500 Jet An audience of more than 1,500 customers, partners, investors, employees, local and aviation industry executives witnessed the first public viewing of the Eclipse 500 jet on July 13 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The Eclipse 500 is a six-person twin-engine jet aircraft enabling the creation of new forms of air travel that will provide much-needed alternatives to commercial airlines, ushering in an age where point-to-point private jet travel will be available to everyone at affordable prices. -- July 13, 2002 -- Eclipse Aviation Corporation Completes Fourth Round of Funding A fourth round of private equity funding in the amount of $18 million brought Eclipse Aviation Corporation's total amount of capital raised to date to $238 million. In addition to marking another program milestone, this cumulative funding is believed to make Eclipse Aviation the most highly funded aviation startup in history. Eclipse and Eclipse 500 are trademarks of Eclipse Aviation Corporation. |
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