Over 1,000 flight hours logged by Phenom 100 flight test fleet

São José dos Campos, July 28, 2008 – Embraer’s Phenom 100 flight test fleet has accrued over 1,000 flight hours in the certification and maturity campaigns. After its announcement in May 2005, the Phenom 100 performed its first flight, in July 2007, and certification is expected in the second semester of 2008.

There are currently four test aircraft participating in the certification and maturity campaigns, and the first Phenom 100 aircraft to be delivered to customers this year are already in the sub-assembly production phase.  “As the Phenom test campaigns advance, we are excited to see the growing market acceptance of these jets. By the end of June, close to 800 Phenom 100 and Phenom 300 firm orders had been placed,” said Luís Carlos Affonso, Embraer Executive Vice President, Executive Jets. “To our further satisfaction, the Phenom jets have been awarded by renowned institutions worldwide, for both the aircraft project and their interior design.”

Several development and certification flight tests have been performed to date, such as low- and high-speed characteristics, stalls, flutter, and natural ice conditions, which will allow the aircraft to be certified for flying into known icing conditions, when it enters service later this year. Crosswind tests were held in Punta Arenas, Chile, earlier this year, and operational tests in high altitude airports were recently concluded in Cochabamba, Bolivia. Systems and performance tests are ongoing, and one test aircraft is currently in the south of Argentina undergoing cold weather tests.

Ground tests included ground vibration, lightning, HIRF (High Intensity Radio Frequency) and cold soak, the latter done last April at the McKinley Climatic Laboratory at Eglin Air Force Base, in Florida, USA. All structural static tests have also been concluded, while the primary structure components made of composite materials have completed both fatigue and static certification tests.

The Phenom jets have received several design awards, such as the IDEA/Brazil design award in 2008, the IF Awards, in Germany, for the best product and interior, in 2006 and 2007, respectively, and the Good Design Awards, in China, for the best design, in 2006. In May 2008, the editors of the U.S. luxury Robb Report magazine chose the Phenom 100 as “the
Best of the Best” business jet.

Original Release

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