Eclipse Aviation has sold one of its twin-engine very light jet airplanes for more than $1.8 million to a Danish man in a private online auction.

Morten Wagner, who plans to accept the Eclipse 500 at the company’s Albuquerque headquarters this week, placed his winning bid on the auction site powered by eBay in the early morning hours of the final day earlier this month.

“I was just sitting there, holding my breath, watching the auction run out,” said Wagner, a 35-year-old Internet entrepreneur. “When I saw I had won, I was delirious; I woke up the whole house and told everyone I just bought an aircraft.”

The advantage to the auction was immediate ownership of an Eclipse 500.

The Albuquerque-based aircraft manufacturer has received orders for 2,600 of the planes. Deliveries began Dec. 31, and the company has been ramping up production.

Posted: 08|29|07 at 8:08 am. Filed under: US News.