Aircraft

Embraer's Phenom 100 very light jet flew for the first time on 26 July from its base in São Jose dos Campos, Brazil. The flight lasted 1h 36min and "all manoeuvres and tests were performed as planned" says test pilot captain Antonio Bragança Silva.

Embraer president Frederico Fleury Curado says: "This is a key milestone for Embraer. When we unveiled the Phenom family a little more than two years ago, we asserted to the business aviation community our commitment to be a long-term player in the executive aviation market.

The first flight of the Phenom 100 confirms this commitment and constitutes another step in Embraer´s strategy to serve our customers with a product line that spans the market." Certification and service entry of the 1,615lb-thrust (7.9kN) Pratt & Whitney Canada PW617F-powered aircraft are scheduled for the middle of next year.