Although Eclipse Aviation has yet to actually deliver an airplane, there are dozens of Eclipse 500s for sale as the secondary market picks up. And, according to analyst Michael Press, Eclipse itself is dabbling in the market, selling an unconfirmed number of early positions for $1.75 million, well above the $995,000 that Eclipse spokesman Andrew Broom said it would have originally realized on the sale of a so-called Platinum position. Press suggests the Albuquerque, N.M.-based start-up manufacturer might have even undervalued those sales, since the owners of positions No. 3 and 19 are currently asking $1.85 million and getting interest. There are now 39 Eclipse positions listed for sale on Controller.com.
While some of the activity is due to speculators profiting from the impatience of those who want their Eclipses sooner rather than later, Press says patience will be rewarded for those willing to wait a year or more for their airplanes. Year 2008 positions have sold for as little as $1.4 million, he said. Eclipses highly publicized development glitches in the past month have intensified the sales activity, and Press said there are good buys available. Broom acknowledged the company’s activity in selling Model 500s on the secondary market, but he didn’t comment further.
