NBAA 09: Embraer joins the ‘650’ club
By John CroftEmbraer has revealed that it has successfully flown the first Legacy
650 large-cabin business jet, an upgraded version of its super-midsize
Legacy 600. The launch brings to seven the total number of executive
jets in the Brazilian airframer’s portfolio.“One thing our
Legacy customers kept telling us is that the aircraft should have more
range,” says Claudio Camelier, Embraer’s vice-president of market
intelligence for executive jets. “The 650 is a response to that
demand.Embraer began delivering the Legacy 600, a derivative
of the ERJ-135 regional jet, in 2002 and has produced more than 170 to
date. Embraer considers the Legacy 600 to be a super-midsize category
aircraft and the new 650 a large-cabin offering.The company has
two 650s flying in Brazil, one prototype and one pre-series version
that flew within days of each other for the first time in late
September, says Camelier. The flight test programme is scheduled for
completion by mid-2010, with certification and service entry expected
in the second half of 2010. The company launched the programme
internally in first half of 2008, says Camelier.
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This post originally appeared at Flightglobal.com from 2007 to 2012.