EMBRAER'S EMB-145 regional jet is performing better than predicted, the Brazilian manufacturer says. One prototype and two pre-series aircraft are now in flight-test and a fourth EMB-145, is scheduled to have been flown, by 20 March.
Engineering director Luis Affonso says that the performance is exceeding specification because of a higher-than-predicted wing lift-coefficient; more thrust than expected from the Allison AE3007 turbofans; and better optimisation of the take-off speed schedule.
Take-off and landing field lengths are shorter, useful weight higher, time to climb faster, cruise speed 6kt (11km/h) higher and range 130km (70nm) greater than projected. "We are very pleased with the results," Affonso says. A dispatch reliability of 95% is being achieved with the test aircraft.
Certification is on schedule for late October/early November, says Embraer president Mauricio Botelho, and the company still plans to deliver the first four aircraft by the end of 1996. The fourth test aircraft, the first with an interior, will be demonstrated at the US Regional Airlines Association meeting in Orlando, Florida, in late May.
Armed with performance figures from flight testing, Embraer will kick off efforts to convert letters of intent into firm orders on 20 March, says Sam Hill, president of the company's US sales and support arm.
Firm orders still stand at 13 aircraft, plus options and other commitments for around 150 more. Embraer plans to build 27 aircraft in 1997, Hill says.
Source: Flight International
