Eclipse Aviation has received Flight Into Known Icing, or FIKI, certification for its twin-engine jet.

The long-awaited certification means pilots are no longer prevented from flying into weather systems where ice could build up on wings and other surfaces.

The company has been testing its de-icing systems since 2007, and its test fleet has racked up more than 300 flight hours in search of icing conditions in the U.S. and Canada. The company also used artificial plastic ice "shapes" attached to the aircraft.

"This certification process is one of the most difficult things to put a new model of aircraft through," Eclipse CEO Vern Raburn said in a news release. "We tested the aircraft in some of the most severe weather conditions we could find, wherever we could fly it. By receiving the FAA certification, we proved that the aircraft can withstand known icing conditions in a real-world operating environment with no structural changes required of the airframe."

The $2.15 million jet's de-icing system includes pneumatic de-ice boots on the wings and other surfaces, electrically heated windshield and air data probes, and heated anti-ice engine inlets.

Also this week, Eclipse announced it has developed a software fix to correct an engine problem that occurred when the aircraft's throttle levers were pushed beyond their FAA-certified design limits.