Brazilian manufacturer sends blueprint to certification authority as it bids to expand business aircraft portfolio
Brazilian certification authority CTA confirmed last week that Embraer has submitted plans for a very light business jet to the body for study, with the project's launch expected at June's Paris air show.
Speculation grew last week at the Latin American Business Aviation Conference and Exhibition (LABACE) in São Paulo that the Brazilian manufacturer would add an entry-level jet to a business aircraft portfolio that consists only of the Legacy super mid-size derivative of the ERJ-135 regional jet.
A senior source at the CTA says Embraer has sought preliminary approval from the body to launch a six- to eight-seat jet as a clean-sheet design. The CTA would certificate any such aircraft under an as-yet-undefined equivalent to US Part 23 rules. The source says Embraer submitted the study to the CTA to give it time to draw up the new category.
Embraer corporate aviation market vice-president Luis Carlos Affonso says: "It is typical that you file requests for certification standards ahead of launching a new product, but I am not aware that any such application has been filed." Embraer refuses to comment further on any new product, but insiders say a launch is due at Paris.
It is understood the aircraft would be largely metal in construction, the result of a study showing the comparative cost advantage of composites to be offset by lower labour costs in Brazil. The company has ruled out laser welding because of the high capital cost as it seeks to make one of the cheapest light jets on the market. Friction stir welding has also been rejected amid concerns about using unproven technology in a high-cycle air taxi aircraft.
The engine is likely to be the General Electric Honda Aero Engines HF118 or a member of the Pratt & Whitney Canada PW600 family.
JUSTIN WASTNAGE & GUY NORRIS/ SÃO PAULO
Source: Flight International
