Photos: Microjets cleared for takeoff

The forthcoming Eclipse 500 very light jet is unusual in that it costs relatively little for a microjet, around $1.5 million for orders placed today. Because jets of a similar size tend to cost about three times as much to buy and operate, the Eclipse microjet is expected to bring down the cost of air taxi service and corporate jet ownership. Plus, unlike many of its rivals, the Eclipse can fly into smaller airports--it's believed to have been the first jet ever to land at San Carlos Airport located just south of San Francisco. San Carlos' runway is 2,600 feet long, and the Eclipse requires just 2,155 feet for takeoff and landing in normal sea level conditions.

The Eclipse 500 has one of the most advanced avionics systems in the sky. Pilots call this concept a glass cockpit. The heading indicator, communications and navigation radios, and vertical speed indicator are all digital. The Eclipse's so-called Avio Total Aircraft Integration system also includes a GPS moving map with a full-color display of weather in the vicinity. This should be no surprise: Eclipse CEO Vern Raburn is a Microsoft alum, and Bill Gates is a large investor.

The interior of Eclipse's microjet. The Eclipse 500 is awaiting certification from the Federal Aviation Administration and initial deliveries are expected this summer. Expected customers include corporate travel, air taxi service and private owners.

Albuquerque, N.M.-based Eclipse says its forthcoming microjet will be able to fly up to 41,000 feet at a speed of 375 knots or 431 miles per hour. The range with four occupants (it can seat up to five people plus a pilot) is 1,395 nautical miles.

The Eclipse 500 has two Pratt & Whitney turbofans, providing 900 pounds of thrust each. That's enough to climb at 888 feet per minute if one engine were to fail. Normal climb rate with both engines functioning is 2,990 feet per minute.

The Beechcraft Premier 1 is one size up from the Eclipse 500 microjet--call it a minijet. Instead of a pilot and five passengers, it can carry a pilot and seven passengers. It has about the same range and service ceiling and can fly faster at altitude (519 mph vs. 431 mph). But it also requires a far longer runway: 3,792 feet at sea level, meaning it can't duck into nearly as many of the smaller general aviation airports around the United States.

Adam Aircraft's A700 microjet is as anticipated as the Eclipse 500. It's derived from a twin-engine piston design and boasts carbon-fiber construction. The unique empennage, called a twin-broom construction, is supposed to create a more stable ride in turbulent conditions. Cruising speed is 391 mph and, unlike some of its rivals, the A700 boasts a lavatory. A production version of the A700 made its first flight in February and is expected to cost $2.25 million.