Bush and Kerry Visit Eclipse Aviation

It might be considered an honor for an established business jet manufacturer to get a visit from either President Bush or Senator John Kerry during this election year, but it was high praise indeed for start-up Eclipse Aviation to get visits from both presidential candidates. Albuquerque, N.M.-based Eclipse Aviation, which claims to have orders for more than 2,100 copies of its Eclipse 500 very light twinjet, is still developing the aircraft and doesn’t expect certification until early 2006. Bush visited Eclipse on August 12 and Kerry made a campaign stop there on October 11. Both men lauded Eclipse as an example of a small, private-sector company contributing to the economy.