Embraer Lineage 1000: Where modest meets magnificent

The Embraer Lineage 1000 experience begins on the ramp, where the polished leading edges of wings and engine inlets differentiate this long-legged $41 million executive jet from its commercial service 100-passenger Embraer 190 brethren. With three-tone choices of livery, the aircraft at rest is at once understated in its potential and overstated in its countenance, an airframe unlikely to be mistaken for the handiwork of any another manufacturer.

Flight International in April was given access to the second of four Lineage aircraft under construction or newly finished in the USA, providing a rare glimpse into some of the gourmet ingredients of the Brazilian airframer's newest high-end recipe.

As one ascends the retractable forward stairs (No 21 in our cutaway) of Lineage number two, polished chrome external handrails lead upward on 11 lighted stairs to the main entry on the forward left side of the twinjet. A warm reception welcomes up to 19 passengers at the main cabin door thanks to radiated heat below the Kalogridis 100% New Zealand wool and silk carpet at forward cabin entry.


© Embraer

Carpet throughout the 25.9m (85ft)-long cabin is padded below with multiple layers of sound-dampening insulation, creating a cushioned sensation that at least one customer has compared to "walking in the clouds". Emblazoned into the carpet at the centre of the 1.98 x 2.68m wide cabin in zone 0, the forward-most modular section, is the Embraer logo.

Baggage and cargo is loaded in the rear port-side door and placed in a heated and pressurised 9.14m³ (322ft³) storage section (105) at the aft end of the cabin, accessible during flight. Storage volume is decreased to 6.37m3 for Lineage number 2, however, as it is equipped with the optional shower (101) in the VIP lavatory of zone 5, the rearward-most compartment of the modularly designed interior.

Aircraft destined to be Lineage 1000s are pulled from the Embraer line late in the commercial airline production process in São José dos Compos, Brazil, but not before receiving the brackets and structural attach points needed for the "monuments", cabinets, credenzas, desks, etc, that will later be installed as part of the completion process.


Click on image for full size cutaway drawing

Once interiors are complete, each Lineage receives Embraer-made auxiliary fuel tanks in what were previously the forward (F13) and rear cargo (F14) compartments. The auxiliary tanks boost fuel capacity by 69%, up to 21,867kg (48,165lb) or 27,232 litres (7,185USgal) from the standard fuel load of 12,972kg in the wing tanks (F2) of the E-190, providing for an intercontinental range of 8,149km (4,400nm). The completion process is expected to take roughly six months, starting with the "green" aircraft once Embraer applies lessons learned from the first four aircraft going through the process.

Starting with the six modules, zone 0 at the front of the cabin and zone 5 at the rear, customers either work with Embraer designers or bring in their own consultants to customise each zone, the process culminating in a customer specification that generally is kept to a succinct 30 pages. Embraer offers more than 700 options in fabric for the divans, panels and curtains and more than 400 choices in leather. Lineage number 1 has an interior that would be called "contemporary", while number 2 is finished in veneers and blue-hue colours.

ELEGANT AND PRACTICAL

Along with the elegant, Embraer does not lose track of the practical. A crew divan (17) in zone 0 proves the point. Although stylish, the 173cm (68in) couch doubles as a crew rest area that can accommodate a 95th percentile male through a design that features recesses in the forward and aft end caps. The trimming provides for an extra 15cm length once the fore and aft cushions are pulled free of their Velcro attach points.

Forward of the divan is the crew lavatory, one of three. At the front is the cockpit, equipped with a Honeywell Primus Epic avionics suite that includes a combiner for the Rockwell Collins Flight Dynamics head-up display (E51). Embraer is now certificating the Kollsman EVS II system for the Lineage, which will give pilots an infrared view in the forward direction, allowing for increased safety and potentially lower landing minima.


© Embraer

The galley (29), located between zone 0 and the remainder of the cabin, must be aesthetic as well as functional given that all passengers pass through its centre. Design features to make it visually appealing while maximising counter top space include a custom sink faucet that swivels out from behind sliding doors. A curtain separates the galley from the crew rest area to the fore; a pocket door isolates the work area from the zone 1 to the aft.

A touchscreen controller gives the flight attendant full control of video and music, lighting, pleated curtain window shades and temperature in any or all zones. Cabin lighting - accents, downwash and styling lights - use LED lights, with red, blue, green tint options available. Cabin air refresh is designed so that air circulates without drafts, a task handled by careful attention to the environmental control system diffuser.

Zone 1, the forward conference room (32), features club seating for four, pull-out side ledge tables and an LCD monitor on the forward left wall. Monitors are available in standard sizes up to 42in diagonal. Individual seats (34) have been designed to handle passenger sizes from the 95th percentile male down to the 25th percentile female, using computerised pressure mapping of test subjects to develop the optimum density and layering of foam cushioning.

More individual seating is available in zone 2 (51), the forward-most section of the main cabin, where customers often elect to have four seats in club arrangement with pull-out side ledge tables. Connectors for power and signal are located behind outlet covers that recess into the lower side ledge deco panels using custom-designed hinges. All eight executive seats, four in zone 2 and four in zone 1, have built-in controls for sound and audio on the arm rests, located under self-opening lids that click and rise with a damped motion. Forward of Zone 2 is the mid-cabin lavatory on port side and an in-flight entertainment cabinet on the starboard that comes standard with three DVD/CD players and sound systems by Audio International or DT Sound.

Zone 3 features a large entertainment area with 42in LCD atop a credenza, two adjacent chairs and a "wow" divan, named for its long length, on the opposite side of the mid-cabin zone. Theatre sound is assured from custom built speakers systems crafted by Dennis Tracy, including subwoofers hidden beneath the divan. External noise is minimised by a sound insulation upgrade that makes use of multiple layers of insulation around the fuselage and on the floor, the amount tuned to satisfy customer audio needs while minimising impact to aircraft weight and range.

An executive office area (93) with VIP desk typically caps the main entertainment area, with voice connectivity through an on-board Air Cell system. Embraer is also developing a voice option that will use the Iridium satellite constellation and is in the process of certificating a Thales-built wireless internet data connectivity solution, work the company says will be completed by summer.

Located rearmost in the cabin is the VIP bedroom and lavatory, complete with an optional shower. The bedroom wardrobe (97) across from the starboard-side bathroom, features anti-slam door hinges and an interior lined with Grosse Point fabric.

A warm floor awaits the passenger who has bathed in the optional shower, again owing to radiating heat unit under the floor. Total indulgence will allow for 93min of bathing, not considering other uses such as the crew, mid-cabin and VIP lavatories or wet galley (29).