FAA certification of the Eclipse 500 - originally scheduled for March 2006 - has been rescheduled to June because of supplier delays, the company has announced.

The Eclipse 500 test fleet has passed the 1,000 flight hour mark, however, and achieved a series of critical testing milestones. Said president and ceo Vern Raburn: "This development is clearly disappointing but the big picture is that we are heading into 2006 with a test fleet of five flying aircraft, our first TIA from the FAA in hand and more than 1,000 flight hours under our belts.

"Most importantly, the Eclipse 500 will soon be certified and in the hands of customers. We designed the aircraft to provide our customers with an unprecedented dispatch rate, and we're experiencing the benefits of this commitment first-hand, as our test fleet achieves critical test points and builds hours at an astonishing rate."

The Eclipse 500 test fleet is comprised of seven aircraft, including one static test airframe and one fatigue airframe. The static airframe successfully completed certification static testing in September 2005.