Expanding horizons
Embraer introduces innovations for 2006
Ernesto Klotzel*

The executive jet market is going through a substantial expansion phase, driven by the growth of the world economy. Embraer estimates a demand for 9,680 of these airplanes in the next 10 years, resulting in about US$144 billion worth of business in this period. These are conservative figures, taking into account that they do not include the promising air taxi market, for which demand may represent over more than 3,000 additional jets.

Based on this favorable scenario, Embraer has announced successive investments to expand and solidify its presence in the Executive Aviation market. The Company aims at becoming a major global manufacturer in the next 10 years by providing its customers with distinctive products and services with high added value.

To this end, the Company boasts more than 36 years of experience in the Commercial Aviation market, as well as a recent and successful initiative in the Executive Aviation market with the Legacy jet, of which more than 70 units have been delivered and are now in operation in five continents. Looking to the future, the Company has restructured and reinforced its sales team and, at the same time, is taking steps to diversify its product portfolio and expand its customer support resources.

Embraer announced in May 2005 that it is investing US$235 million in the Phenom 100 and Phenom 300 jets, which symbolize the Company's new phase. A year ago, experienced engineer Luís Carlos Affonso, who until then had been responsible for the EMBRAER 170/190 program, took over the organization of Embraer's executive aviation division, encouraging his staff to meet the new challenges ahead.

Showcased for the first time, full-scale mock-ups of the new Embraer executive jets, the Phenom 100 and Phenom 300 were the highlight of the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) annual convention held in November 2005 in the United States. The comfortable and relaxing ambience created by BMW Group Designworks USA is quite impressive.

The design of the passenger cabin and pilot cockpit covered the smallest details. A light color scheme, pleasant textures, relaxing seats, natural and artificial lighting, and large windows, among other features, provide a harmonious atmosphere, making the mystical act of flying an agreeable and timely experience, as if the passenger were traveling in a deluxe car. In this case, of course, at more than 500 mph.

Pilots have also noted a big difference in the flight deck and operational comfort. Intelligent Luxury, one of the design drivers of the Phenom jets' interior, conceptualizes a new lifestyle and is considered a valuable competitive edge. In this new paradigm, which characterizes a new and 'intelligent' era, values such as space, time, connectivity, simplicity, knowledge, and authenticity take the place of old-fashioned ideas of luxury, hierarchy, and symbolism.

Featuring a wide and comfortable passenger cabin and pilot cockpit, the design of the jet incorporate state-of-the-art technology. Three large liquid crystal screens display the main flight information. Additionally, these aircraft will be certified for single-pilot operation, increasing flexibility. The Phenom jets are designed for high utilization and a low maintenance cost.

In 2006, Phenom 100 and Phenom 300 are on a road show around the world, making appearances in major aviation trade shows, as well as equestrian and nautical events and movie exhibits (see box on page 9).The Company must go where the customer is and introduce the new executive jet concept. Countries in North America, South America, and Europe will have the chance to get to know and experience the distinctive features of Embraer's new launches. The first events of the year were the NBAA Regional Forum and the Winter Equestrian Festival, both held in the United States in January, and the Toluca Aero'06, in Mexico. The public's acceptance of the new products exceeded expectations.

During the Asian Aerospace 2006 (AA2006) show, the first aeronautical event of the year held February 21-26 in Singapore, Embraer presented a detailed outlook of this promising market, particularly for the Asia and Pacific region. The public was introduced to the Phenom jets and the Legacy 600,Embraer's super midsize executive jet that has made inroads into the market due to its recognized comfort and performance excellence.

This was the first time that the Legacy 600 was displayed at AA2006, one of the world's most important trade shows. During the event, Embraer announced two new Legacy 600 sales to Indonesia, raising to eight the number of this aircraft in the region (five units are operated by the government of India and one unit is in Macau).

In operation since 2002, the Legacy has incorporated improvements, including a revised maintenance plan (with only two stops a year), High-Speed Data, and a new interior offering more acoustic comfort, all of which make it an excellent choice. Twenty units were delivered in 2005 alone. Today, there are over 70 Legacy 600 jets in operation in 17 countries in the five continents.