Embraer is nearing completion of the first Legacy 500 twin-engine business jet, allowing the Brazilian aircraft manufacturer to start flight testing of the $18.4 million (2008 dollars) model on schedule by the end of this year.
The Legacy 500 is a slightly larger version of the Legacy 450, with which it shares 95 percent commonality, including the same Rockwell Collins Pro Line Fusion avionics and fly-by-wire flight controls. Certification of the new model is targeted for late next year, with the $15.25 million Legacy 450 to follow about a year later.
With the new additions to the bizjet product portfolio, Embraer will offer a full family of executive jets, from the Phenom 100 and 300 on the low end of the spectrum up through the Legacy 600 and 650 models and the bizliner Lineage 1000, based on Embraer’s E190 regional airliner airframe.
