Eclipse Drops Avidyne as Avionics Supplier

Eclipse has parted ways with avionics supplier Avidyne, which it has blamed for several delays in getting the Eclipse 500 jet to market.

It was the second divorce between Eclipse and a major supplier, but the company insisted production would not be affected.

The Massachusetts-based Avidyne supplied parts for the jet's integrated electronic flight control and information system, including cockpit display screens and software.

The avionics system integrates and controls most aspects of the aircraft's flight and provides information for the pilot.

Eclipse, which has finished a handful of planes and has more in production, said it is lining up a replacement system.

The company said it will finish some Eclipse 500s with Avidyne systems, then retrofit them with new components, said Eclipse spokesman Andrew Broom.

Aircraft built after an unspecified date will have the new components installed during production.

The avionics change will likely mean some revision of Eclipse's Federal Aviation type certification for the $1.5 mil- lion jet, and at least one observer called the 11th-hour decision unusual for the aircraft industry.

In an e-mail to the Journal on Monday, Broom wrote that "Avidyne will no longer supply components for the Avio Total Aircraft Integration system in the Eclipse 500.

"We have agreed it is in the mutual best interest of both companies, and our customers, to wind down our relationship and go our separate ways."

Broom said Eclipse had been working with other suppliers behind the scenes for months and said the transition would have no effect on aircraft production or delivery.

Customers have been notified of the pending changes, Broom said. Eclipse has said it has more than 2,500 orders on the books.

It was unclear Monday how the development would affect Eclipse's FAA type certification, which it received last year. FAA spokesman Roland Herwig said that, typically, agency inspectors would need to test the equipment and revise the plane's type certification.

"It's not a step backward, but it's an additional step," he said.

Eclipse plans to make some aerodynamic modifications to later models of the 500, for which the FAA will also revisit its type certification.

Chad Trautvetter, editor in chief of aviation publication avweb.com, said it is not unusual for a company to seek recertification for changes.

"... But it is unusual to do it before airplanes are effectively coming off the production line," he said.

Broom said Eclipse will announce new suppliers in the next two weeks.

"We have partnered with an impressive new team of proven, reliable suppliers to deliver Avio functionality," Broom said.

In an e-mail, Trautvetter noted that, since Eclipse named Avidyne as its supplier, several companies, such as Honeywell and Garmin, have introduced similar avionics packages already FAA-certified.

In 2002, Eclipse parted ways with engine supplier Williams International, causing two years of delays as the aircraft was redesigned to accommodate its larger Pratt & Whitney Canada engines.

The split with Avidyne wasn't a surprise in aviation circles.

Before and after the FAA's issuance of a type certification for the six-seat jet, Eclipse founder Vern Raburn has blamed repeated delays on Avidyne.

Even as Eclipse officially handed over ownership of its first plane to a customer late last year, it announced that some avionics functionality, such as GPS and weather radar, would not be available until later this year.

Richard Aboulafia, vice president of Fairfax, Va.-based industry analyst Teal Group, said he wouldn't be surprised to see more suppliers part ways with Eclipse.

"Difficult supplier relations are inevitable in such an aggressive and, in some cases, speculative, program," he said.

Representatives from Avidyne did not return calls seeking comment.

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