Millennium Concepts

Seats designed, fabricated and certified by Millennium Concepts, Inc. of Wichita, Kansas were installed in the ground-breaking new Very Light Jet (VLJ) that won its provisional type certification from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) last month.  The Eclipse 500, built by Eclipse Aviation of Albuquerque, New Mexico, has pioneered the VLJ market and is the first  VLJ to be certified.

Designed to provide jet-powered performance to owner-pilots and offer commercial passengers a quick and efficient way to travel directly between destinations on an affordable and convenient basis, the Eclipse 500 is the least expensive twin-turbofan business jet in the world, delivering acquisition and operating costs that are dramatically lower than those of current entry-level jets.  It is designed for high hour/cycle operations, providing airline-like dispatch reliability.

“The Eclipse 500 ushers in the VLJ era which will redefine personal and business air travel,” said Phil Holland, president of Millennium Concepts.  “It will provide air taxi operators and passengers with alternatives to traveling by car and traveling on conventional airliners which operate out of hub airports and are often inconveniently distant from the passengers’ ultimate destinations.  But, in order to attract and retain the interest of the flying public, it’s imperative that air taxis operating VLJs be reliable and offer accommodations that are comfortable, durable and safe.  That’s why the design and certification of the Eclipse 500’s seating was such an important part of its development program.  We’re very proud that we certified the 26G crew seats and 21G passenger seats for this breakthrough aircraft,” he continued.

Working closely with Eclipse Aviation, Millennium Concepts completed the prototype development, fabrication and assembly of the test articles, managed the supply of materials, technical analysis, substantiation, testing and FAA certification of the family of seats which were specifically developed for the Eclipse 500.  The design features a reclining backrest, adjustable headrest and lumbar support, break over capability and floor tracking.  The crew seats also incorporate a height adjustment mechanism.

As part of the 22-month development and certification program, Millennium conducted dynamic impact tests at the National Institute of Aviation Research on the campus of Wichita State University.  Outfitted with instrumented test dummies, the seating system was decelerated to 26 times the force of gravity.  Millennium’s certification engineers tested the seating system for static and dynamic strength, fire protection and occupant injury criteria.   Other technical aspects evaluated during development program included ergonomic studies and continued airworthiness.   The seats are fully certified with no limitations or restrictions.

“We’re proud of our relationship with Eclipse and the way we’ve worked together on this project,” stated Kevin Reifschneider, Millennium’s vice president of engineering and certification.  “We fabricated and supplied Eclipse with close to 100 seats for the development program, including those used for marketing, testing, research and development, flight testing and certification.  It’s extremely gratifying to be a part of a revolutionary program like this,” he concluded.

Millennium Concepts is fast becoming a leader in the development and certification of aircraft interiors for the next generation of commercial aircraft.  Since its founding in 1999, the company has grown into a highly-regarded provider of engineering and related services, offering “turn-key” capabilities in interior design, fabrication and completions for aircraft ranging from the Cessna Grand Caravan to the Boeing Business Jet.  The company’s customer base encompasses a variety of industry leaders, including Associated Air Center, B/E Aerospace, Bombardier, EADS Aerospace, Eclipse Aviation, Embraer, L3 Communications, Marshal Aerospace, Nordam, Quest, Raytheon, and Yingling Aviation.