Eclipse 500 Engine Preps for First Flight in August

Pratt & Whitney Canada is starting its second month of ground runs of the PW610F, the smallest of the company’s new PW600-series engines and the powerplant selected by Eclipse Aviation for its very light jet. On May 4 the engine achieved its rated takeoff thrust of 900 pounds after five hours of ground testing. The engine is scheduled to start flight trials on P&WC’s Boeing 720 flying testbed in August, followed by deliveries of the first prototype engines to Eclipse in early December. The production-conforming Eclipse 500 with the PW610F is scheduled to fly on December 31. P&WC expects the engine to be certified in the first quarter of 2006, and Eclipse plans to begin customer deliveries of the Eclipse 500 shortly thereafter.