Eclipse Aerospace announced Tuesday it has opened up its jet manufacturing operation to public tours.

The tour offers an opportunity to see Eclipse 550 jets during the assembly process, from the first friction stir weld to final paint striping, the company said in a news release.

The production line has been completely re-engineered after a three-year review of all production processes.

Eclipse Aerospace is extremely proud of our modern, state of the art production facility and invites interested parties to Albuquerque to view our progress, said Mason Holland, Eclipse Aerospace CEO.

Visitors will observe EA550 jets being built for our worldwide base of customers and will be guided along the production process from the initiation of production through final aircraft airworthiness certification.

During the two-hour tours, visitors will see a number of workstations from incoming inspection, to the preparation of the raw materials, welding, assembly of the fuselage, mating of wings, and the application of personalized paint schemes.

Eclipses manufacturing space is located adjacent to the Albuquerque International Sunport.

Tours, with an advance reservation, are available weekdays from 8:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. and have certain guidelines and restrictions for group size and age. Reservations may be made by calling (505) 724-1000 or via email at http://www.ECLIPSE.aero.

Original post:

Eclipse Aerospace opens ABQ plant to public tours