Eclipse Aviation recently played host to U.S. President George W Bush as he paid a visit to the company’s facility in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in order to lead the ‘Ask President Bush’ forum.

During the 90 minute forum, Bush spoke about topics ranging from the war against terrorism to job growth in the region. He praised the entrepreneurial skills of Eclipse president and ceo Vern Rabur.\r

“Here’s a guy who says: ‘I can build a better aeroplane’,” he said. “That’s what you call a grand vision.” He went on to describe Eclipse as a “vibrant company”.

When Bush asked about the growth of the company since his last visit, Rabur replied: “Four years ago we had 18 employees – we have 342 now.”

The company is currently developing the Eclipse 500 twin engine jet, priced at $1,175,000, and expects customer deliveries to begin in the first quarter of 2006. The current backlog for orders is over 2,100 aircraft.

According to Eclipse spokesman Andrew Broom, there has been “significant interest in the Eclipse 500 in Europe”.

It is the second biggest market for the aircraft, accounting for approximately 10 per cent of Eclipse’s orders.