David Green, a spokesman for the Eclipse Owners Group, said on Tuesday the group has entered into a preliminary agreement with Hawker Beechcraft Corp. under which Hawker would provide maintenance upgrades and other aircraft services to Eclipse 500 owners. “The parties will now begin negotiations for a definitive binding agreement,” according to a news release from the owners group. “This relationship is sure to create tremendous confidence in Eclipse owners that their planes will be flying for many years to come,” said Green. The agreement depends on EOG’s success in acquiring the assets of Eclipse Aviation Corp., including the type certificate for the jet. A bankruptcy auction is expected to occur soon, and EOG will have to compete with several other entities for those assets. “Hawker Beechcraft is pleased to offer Eclipse 500 owners the highest quality service and support in general aviation,” said Bill Brown, president of global customer service and support for Hawker Beechcraft. “We look forward to this new relationship and keeping the Eclipse 500s in the air.”
The owners group is working to support the owners’ best interests, according to the news release, and might support a proposal from another party rather than buying the company assets itself, if that seems like a better option.
