Eclipse Aerospace, Inc., manufacturer of the world's first very-light jet (VLJ), today announced that it has received Production Certificate #550 from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), paving the way for production of the new Eclipse 550 twin-engine jet. Representatives from the FAA presented the production certificate to Cary Winter, Senior Vice President of Eclipse Aerospace, earlier today at a ceremony held at Eclipse's Albuquerque headquarters.

A production certificate allows a company to manufacture aircraft and parts in conformance with FAA-approved type design, and is only granted when the FAA has determined that the organization's manufacturing processes and quality systems comply with all federal regulations.

"Armed now with a fully certified aircraft, a certified production process, and an established supply chain, Eclipse is well positioned to re-introduce the Eclipse Jet to new production. Earning our FAA production certificate means we have successfully built a reliable, high-quality manufacturing process, and are well positioned to expedite aircraft deliveries," said Winter.

The rigorous FAA production certificate approval process includes the exhaustive evaluation of an organization's manufacturing processes, quality control, and production inspection system. A team of FAA inspectors performs multiple audits on the organization and examines approved design data for compliance.

"This was a great effort by our Quality, Engineering, Production, Supply Chain, and Facilities teams. We also appreciate the professionalism and dedication the FAA MIDO demonstrated throughout this initiative, and look forward to advancing the Eclipse 550 aircraft to full scale production," commented Winter.

The new model Eclipse 550 twin-engine jet is built upon the same proven Eclipse 500 platform, but will deliver with the next evolution of aircraft systems for general aviation jets. Systems upgrades include auto-throttles, synthetic vision, enhanced vision, and a redundant flight management system. First deliveries are expected in mid 2013.