Hampsons, the FAA, the press and now this....

UPDATED FRIDAY 22nd August 17.49 GMT

****PRESS RELEASE****

Eclipse Aviation Targets Financial Stability as CEO Roel Pieper
Implements Operational Excellence Program

Company reduces workforce by 38 percent

ALBUQUERQUE, NM - August 22, 2008 - Today Eclipse Aviation(r),
manufacturer of the world's first very light jet (VLJ), announced a
reduction in workforce as a result of its operational excellence
strategy introduced by CEO Roel Pieper at AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wis.,
July 28, 2008. Eclipse is reducing its workforce by approximately 38
percent which includes temporary workers and people employed less than
six months. The reduction is an effort to achieve financial stability
as soon as possible. Eclipse is laying off approximately 650 employees
affecting all departments and facilities including Albuquerque, N.M.;
Gainesville, Fla.; and Albany, N.Y. Eclipse's total employment remains
at about 1,100. The impact of this action will be a slowdown in the
production of Eclipse 500s through 2008. In 2009, Eclipse intends to
increase production back to previous levels and higher.

"In my effort to take Eclipse Aviation to the next level of growth and
sustainability, I am 100 percent focused on operational excellence and a
plan to achieve it," said Pieper. "Financial stability is critical for
this company and unfortunately, a reduction in workforce was necessary
to achieve it. I am confident this action will set the company on the
path to profitability so that we can continue to lead the very light jet
category."

Eclipse will not be releasing any further information or conducting
interviews surrounding this press release at this time.

That's the official press release. However, I've have contradictory information. I believe EAC are trying to bend figures and 'make like' they're are going to continue with viable production capacity. This is difficult to square with what we know from Albany, IS&S and Hampsons. When you've been reading EAC press releases for as long as I have, you learn to 'parse' the words, then the phrases, then the sentences and finally the message as a whole. Note the careful use of words like 'about', 'approximately' and 'effort'. He's the CEO, and he is not able to tell the press how many people are going and how many are staying. And another thing. I thought all the 'temporary' workers were let go two weeks ago. While I know people have been hired (but not trained very well) in the recent past, I'm interested in how many that would actually add up to.  Finally, for this update, I understand that several contradictory stories are flying around ABQ. A 'standard' version has the total number of layoffs (total) at just under '800' today, and another '400' on Monday.

Original post below

I pretty proud of you lot. It's only two days since the last 'headline' and I can justify a new one.

First, a post from 'Forward Observer' which is a perfect example of what the blog is about. He manages to intertwine personal relationships and political attachments with a true focus on safety. For these reasons alone, it would deserve promotion to 'headline' status. However it's also a good story in it's own right.

Second, I bring you disturbing news from Grand Prairie, Texas. It seems that Hampson Aerospace, whom we last heard of settling their dispute with Vern, have decided to take their chips off the table and leave the game. This is very serious should EAC be able to resume volume production. It must also send a clear signal to other suppliers, as it will be a tad difficult to fly an aircraft without a tail.

Finally, there is an imbalance in our 'coverage' of the traditional media. Not all have followed the EAC line over the past decade. Several are notable by their balanced coverage, including AINonline and AVweb. Some comments I made yesterday would tend to paint all journalists in an unflattering light. This was plainly unfair. So, credit where it's due, and inform your future reading habits by how your favorite source behaved in it's coverage of EAC.

So to begin, the post by Forward Observer. A few of the links didn't work (for me) so I cut them and I've done a little tidy up on the spacing, but it's otherwise as it first appeared yesterday:-

Forward-Observer said

Well, the FAA’s press release, at

http://www.faa.gov/news/press_releases/news_story.cfm?newsId=10273

trumpets that the FAA is getting right on that pesky Eclipse 500 plane - you know the very first “Special Certification Review” team to prepare a report prior to the September Congressional hearing.

All should be well, everything is fine- “Move along, Move along, these are not the droids you are looking for” could be the intended message. The FAA leadership in Washington is hot the trail, and will make sure everything is just fine. The press release even says “Jerry Mack, a former Boeing safety executive, is leading an oversight team of seven FAA experts.” Is on the job.

Wooaa fellah. Who?

Jerry Mack?

Who is Jerry Mack??

Well, for starters, he’s not even an FAA employee.

And to be represented as a “Senior Safety Executive” might be a bit of a stretch.

You see, Jerry Mack, appears to be an amazing person to appoint to lead a “Special Certification Review” on behalf of the FAA. He’s not working elsewhere right now, and he’s a personal hand-pick of the Senior leadership of the FAA’s Aircraft Certification Service to go look into this. Perhaps it was Mr. John Hickey, the Director of the Aircraft Certification Service, who may have chosen Mr. Mack for the job. After all, both previously worked for the Boeing Company.

I can see why Mr. Mack would be the person selected to take a look and see if the FAA was being fair in applying the rules to little ‘ol ECLISPE Aviation. What, pray tell, qualifies Mr. Mack to determine if the FAA applied the regulations properly, when it award a Type Certificate to the Eclispe 500? Well, let’s start with his recent employment. You see Mr. Mack wasn’t working for the FAA. His name does not appear in the employee web directory.

No, he’s an outside contractor that has been brought in to make things appear that All is Well. Mr. Mack previously worked for the Boeing Company. alright. But his most recent job title was not as an engineering safety evaluator. No, it was as the Vice President of Government Technical Affairs for several years.

In that job, his job was to make sure that the Government left the Boeing Company alone. He was paid some pretty big bucks to make sure that nobody from the Government could get too close to the Boeing Company’s secrets. Jerry Mack- Boeing vice president of Government / Industry Technical Liaison for Boeing Commercial Airplanes

Of course, Mr. Mack has had some other employment recently. It turns out Mr. Mack spent a good deal of time at the Aerospace Industries Association. Mack was elected as Aerospace Industries Association AIA’s Civil Aviation Council, and remained there for a period of time. His contacts among the head honchos at the FAA proved very valuable. It appears he is well know and well connected. He’s an ideal man for the job.

http://aia-aerospace.org/aianews/press/2003/rel_01_29_03.cfm

In fact, here’s a photo of Mr. Mack hard at work in his job with the AIA. He’s shown here at the Paris Airshow with his arms around a couple of beauties:

http://www.aia-aerospace.org/images/paris05/paris05_0615_princi.jpg

(AIA Membership Manager Trish Ward, left, Jerry Mack in the middle, and Membership Assistant Vice President Michelle Princi on the right, at the Paris Airshow in 2005)

Now, you might remember some of the interesting things that happened in the time frame following Mr. Mack’s election to the AIA council. You see, it was in that time, Mr Mack, the vice president of Government/Industry Technical Liaison for Boeing Commercial Airplanes, found a few friends in Washington. It was shortly thereafter than another fine executive, namely one Ms. Marion Blakey, found a wonderful new job offer waiting for her over at AIA.

Remember that one? When the FAA Administrator jumped ship to go to the AIA and pick up a six-figure salary? Of course, some might say that’s politics getting into the mix. You might be right. After all, Mr. Mack has paid his dues. In fact, he donated handsomely to George W. Bush’s re-election campaign in 2004, and to John McCain’s run in 2008. Apparently $250 bucks to McCain 2008 is all that’s needed to cement your appointment to a contractor position, to investigate if management of the FAA was ok in it’s issuance of a type certificate. 

Fair and balanced safety review?

Or political hack, former Boeing government liaison executive, hired by another former Boeing employee (Hickey), with bone fide political donations and connections, and now paid to say that everything is fine?

Maybe. Maybe not.

We report.

You decide.

Whew. There is a man with an opinion and the ability to express it.

Next Hampson Aerospace. They are located in Grand Prairie Texas, where they have been making the FPJs' vertical stabilizer, horizontal stabilizer, rudder and elevator. On Wednesday they 'closed their doors' and told the staff to contact HR at a nearby sister company for further information. After Albany, then IS&S and now Hampsons, who will be keen to continue working with EAC, even if they manage to get that critical funding? I'm told they are looking for something in the region of $200 million dollars. Pretty steep ask in the current climate, don't you think?

I'll finish with a reminder not to treat all journalists, or the media outlets that employ them, the same. There are a number who have called this company to account from day one.

Things are moving quickly. I'll try to stay in the loop as much as I can but remember you can always get me by email at

eclipsecriticng@gmail.com

Shane