Eclipse Aerospace has received approval from the US Federal Aviation Administration to double the service life of existing Eclipse 500s and under-development 550s very light jets to 20,000 hours/20,000 cycles.
The validation "provides Eclipse owners with over 50 years of flight operations at normal usage rates and improved airframer residual value," says the Albuquerque, New Mexico-based airframer.
This consent also "validates the strength and superiority" of the friction stir welding process used to assemble the aircraft's fuselage and wings, Eclipse adds,
FSW bonds aluminium without rivets or conventional welding techniques, providing increased component strength and durability.
"FSW replaces the requirement to manually drill holes and install over 7,000 rivets in the airframe, which create opportunities for stress cracks to form," says Eclipse. "The elimination of rivet holes and the strength provided by the FSW welded joint provides an airframe that is three times stronger than a traditional riveted airframe."
There are around 270 Eclipse 500s and Total Eclipse VLJ's in service. The upgraded EA500 is scheduled for certification and service entry later this year.
Source: Flight International
