* I am reposting since not a lot of activity in PLANE TALK:

Price of Eclipse Jet´s have also been into a dive lately and according to Jet Avivas report a lot of transactions lately:

https://www.controller.com/listings/air ... clipse-500

"This is the only aircraft on the market today with the ADS-B in and out upgrade"

* Are the 1.0 avionics "toast" in the long run?
* 785 SNEW.... So 800 hrs of flying until HSI ?
* Whats the typical cost of annual on these? Is there any "deal" with ONE AVIATION about "low utilization / 100 hrs / Year? It already has the "Life Extension".
* Cost of RVSM certification / Yearly?
* Probably does not have any engine programs- positive for the low acquisition cost compared to the up-graded ones: * Total Eclipse, +2.0´s Avionics.

Opinions on value / utility & future value?

Cheers.

If thats the one out of Addison. It is on an engine program. The original eclipse's dont have flight into know icing and that particular one doesnt have a nav fuction on the autopilot. It has heading only.

Your link is broken. Here you go:

https://www.controller.com/listings/air ... clipse-500

Didn't one guy on BT buy one, fly it to overhaul then part it out?

If so, that tells you something.

I can answer your questions having owned a 1.0 and having personally flown the one in Addison for 15 hours.

1) The 1.0 avionics are not toast but you have a real problem if any of the following dies:

-Pitot Probes, screens and autopilot servos. They are different than the new ones and may or may not be repairable

2) HSI is at 1750 and OH is at 3500. That particular plane is not fully paid up on the ESP Gold so plan on paying for the HSI out of pocket. Most are getting away with 50-75K a side.

3) Annual costs are WILDLY variable. You need to understand you are buying a disposable jet so maintain it like that. Windshield heater breaks, don't spend 30K on a new windshield, leave it broken because you never need it. Fix only the bare minimum to keep it airworthy. You will probable spend $15K on the 24 month inspection and something similar on the 48month. Way less maintenance than owning a Baron. If you want to keep it perfect as if it was a new airplane then you could probably plan on doubling these costs; especially if you want to use official ONE Aviation mx shops.

4) RVSM is basically free annually.

5) No low utilization program exists or is needed, you need a 24 month and 48th month inspection.

6) It's a fun little plane and very useful.

7) You have to think of it this way, if some guy had a twin engine 360kt EXPERIMENTAL jet at Oshkosh for sale for $500K, would you not give him a check on the spot? Of course you would.

8) I parted mine out at 400 hours TT not because I couldn't support it anymore but because I got a smoking deal selling my motors that it just made financial sense at the time. I also had extra screens, probes and servos so I had the items I needed to carry on. The seller also has these items so you probably should buy them.

9) It does 95% of what the new ones do for 1/6th the cost so I vote go for it.

Mike

Mike and I are both pretty resourceful guys. We are both hands on, and willing to spend a ridiculous amount of time and energy on 'alternative' solutions, yet neither of us could keep an Avidyne Eclipse flying. Both of us parted ours. Yes, I scrapped a 2008 model jet which had nothing wrong with it (and that was about 2 years ago) ! Crazy to think about ...

Basically, the problem is that there are parts which are unobtainable and/or not repairable for the 1.0 Eclipse. It's a pretty big list and it is growing longer each year. I'm not even talking about the ridiculously overpriced $50,000 parts you will need to replace when they fail. This is stuff which you literally cannot buy or repair with any amount of money. I'm talking about the items which will can (and ultimately will) ground the jet.

If someone gave me a 1.0 Eclipse for free, it would make 1 final flight to my hangar and I would cut it up.

WOW! Must be sad seeing a perfectly flying jet being parted out!
Thanks for the feedback gentlemen. As I see these jets they are "over-priced" even @ the advertised value.

So what would the best value in the Eclipse fleet be? an Avidyne version +1.7 / IFMS? Somehow I see people wanting to up-grade from these to Mustangs. Perhaps "predictability" on the cost of ownership? G1000? More usefull load?

The only value of these airplanes is motor value + $125K (airframe goodies) - PITA Factor.

A 1.5 is a bare minimum version I would consider.

One wonders how long it is before that afflicts more Eclipse variants.

The irony is that Vern kept crowing about how Eclipse was going to create a homogeneous fleet. That's even more ironic because it was a software guy saying that.

So much for that idea...

Mike C.

I would definitely not poke that bare!

I would definitely not poke that bare!

One wonders how long it is before that afflicts more Eclipse variants.

The irony is that Vern kept crowing about how Eclipse was going to create a homogeneous fleet. That's even more ironic because it was a software guy saying that.

So much for that idea...

Mike C.

Latest news, there is now an STC to allow life extension for ALL pre-ETT and ETT Eclipses. I didn't have to kill mine. Sad.

I wonder if someone could take the old ones and make a kit that puts in a g600 and separates out all the integrated stuff. Heck, make the engines non fadec. Would be an awesome little plane.

I think this impossible, the entire airplane is the avionics. You could do this as an experimental but never going to happen as an STC