"As Founder and CEO, Vern can be credited with creating the now prevalent very light jet category and achieving what the industry did not think possible. Under his leadership, the company has delivered more than 230 Eclipse 500 aircraft and introduced the coveted Eclipse 400," said Roel Pieper, Eclipse Aviation Chairman. "It is now time to take the company to the next level of growth and operational excellence and this is what the board has tasked me to do. I will work toward this goal in the coming period."

Roel Pieper has extensive international management experience having served as President and CEO of Tandem Computers (TDM), President and CEO of UNIX System Laboratories (USL), President and CEO of Ungermann-Bass (TDM) as well as Senior Vice President of Strategy at Philips N.V. of The Netherlands and Chief Technology Officer at Software AG of Germany. In addition, he was formerly a Director of Computer Associates (CA) and Veritas Software (VRTS). He is currently Chairman and Founder of European Technology and Investment Research Center (ETIRC) Aviation, a company organized to provide business communities with affordable, on-demand, point-to-point air-taxi jet travel and also the largest shareholder in Eclipse.

"I am proud to have led the team that succeeded in creating the very light jet category and shipping the safest Part 23 aircraft in decades," said Vern Raburn, Founder of Eclipse Aviation. "I love this company and the people who built it with me and my first objective is to do whatever I can to enable its ongoing success. I am pleased that our Chairman is deeply committed to the same goal."

Raburn will continue to provide counsel to Pieper and will assume the Vice Chairman role at ETIRC Aviation, assisting in the global expansion of the Eclipse 500.