Brazilian aviation authorities awarded the type certificate for the fly-by-wire Embraer Legacy 500 on Tuesday, a milestone that should be followed by FAA certification of the twinjet in the coming weeks.
“We are thrilled with the achievement of the Legacy 500 certification, a revolutionary jet that delivers true innovation to our customers,” said Frederico Fleury Curado, Embraer president and CEO. “I want to congratulate our teams for their passion and their dedication to bring to market this extraordinary aircraft.”
The flight test program comprised four prototype aircraft, which completed over 1,800 flight hours, in addition to more than 20,000 hours of ground testing of avionics, electrical, hydraulic and environmental systems.
The $20 million midsize jet features Rockwell Collins Pro Line Fusion avionics and Honeywell HTF7500E turbofan engines.
Delivery of the first customer Legacy 500 is scheduled for next month, Embraer says. As many as six will be produced this year, after which production will steadily increase throughout 2015.
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