The British Empire & Eclipse Aviation
Posted by adam on April 28, 2008 under Air Taxi Revolution, Marketing Strategy, Story Telling
Realistically, there are few similarities between these institutions.
Eclipse Aviation is a privately funded aircraft manufacturer. The British Empire is… well, we assume you all know who “they” are. The common thread, that binds them, however, is our good friend Mahatma Ghandi who famously offered:
then they ridicule you,
then they fight you,
then you win.”
Eclipse made news recently by deciding to subpoena a blog to unmask anonymous blog users (people who post) on the subject of Eclipse’s evolution and potential demise. (More on Eclipse’s reasons for going after the blog here.)
The act of going after John Doe 1 and 2 and 3 etc…. puts Eclipse squarely on the third step of the four step “Ghandi Will Bring You To Your Knees Program.” (Also known as the “head in sand” program.)
When you pay attention to your critics, but do it by sending in “crowd control” as your first response, you exhibit the final signs of the waning empire.
The amazing thing about Eclipse is that the company not only falls short on promises, but this type of behavior has managed to squander so much good will … so quickly. Even the crabby aviation veterans at our firm (myself included) took a strong interest in the mass education that the VLJ crowd has done for the private aviation space and anyone coming to the space with a neat little airplane, a ton of money and a plan to actually change the air taxi industry, was bound to get our attention and praise.
Then came the problems:
• The orders: How many really?
• The airplane: Certified to FAR Part 23 standards, but not 25? It is an air taxi, isn’t it?
• The blaming: Are suppliers the right ones to blame when entire product is late?
• The non-air taxi revolution: Is Dayjet going to make a difference or are they in a death spiral? (Just asking since it seems quiet.)
Anyway, thanks to Mahatma for “keeping it real.”
Proving that bloggers have caused “irreparable harm” is a tall order. Even more so when a legacy of over-promising and under-delivering is the source of most Eclipse related agita in the media, the blogosphere and the ranks of crabby customers.
Popularity: 68%
Like your web site and found it very informative, Thank you! Love to discuss better ideas (mousetrap) on charter and “Prudent Aircraft Management” that is in the interest of the clients as well as the Certificate Holder. Revenue certainly offsets the fixed costs, and the infrastructure/manpower routinely associated with a reputable 135 operation (Dispatch, Operations, Maintenance, Avionics, Fuel programs besides home based fuel discounts line services, etc.) is certainly a benefit.
Thanks for including me in your email I look forward to more information in the future.
Paul D. Schulte
New World Aviation (ABE)
“Irreparable harm” … that is a tall order. There are times when it is best to hold your tongue. For Eclipse, I think they’ll look back on this mess one day and realize this should have been one of those times. Vern’s action simply confirms to me and other aviation industry snoops that Eclipse is worried. What should worry them most Adam, is that much of what is printed on the Eclipse Aviation Critic blog turns out to be accurate. That means there are Eclipse insiders sending information under the door. That’s one thing that is driving Vern crazy I’m sure.
But too, if much of what the blog had to say was not true, Eclipse would have probably sued them for liable a long time ago.
Vern and Eclipse do deserve considerable credit for the industry markers they’ve created. But as you also pointed out, they’ve really squandered the their goodwill bank account. My guess is that’s going to catch up with them pretty soon.
Rob
www.jetwhine.com
Appropos of your view, this podcast concurs with you 100%.
http://iagblog.podomatic.com/entry/2008-04-24T09_45_37-07_00
well put Rob - that is the “tall order” and I couldn’t find legal docs showing that that was the claim (just the subpoena) but the AIN bit did show that indeed that is what he is claiming, which is fairly obtuse in light of the fact the bloggers (to me) appear to be trying to figure out what the end game is behind all the smoke and mirrors - on a related note (broken businesses), this piece just got published by IRMI and I’ll be throwing a copy of it up here soon too… http://www.irmi.com/Expert/Articles/2008/Webster04.aspx
Paul,
Your comment is well timed. Based on the type of input you offer above, we’ve actually developed a service at http://www.rsvpair.com that allows the progressive marketeer (operator) to solicit jet owners that are looking for management deals. The key though, we found (after 10 years of full court press in the space), is to help jet owners first, build trust, then, once you’ve built the trust as a brand that won’t railroad them into “your” solution.. you can get an audience with a wider variety of them than you ever possibly imagined.
Never mind the legions of fractional owners who exit their programs looking for something a little more customized with some revenue.
–Adam
[…] the case of Dayjet, we doubted the airplane, the viability of the model, etc., even though they appeared to be the strongest […]
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