Sao Jose dos Campos, August 7, 2008 – Embraer saw its second Phenom 300 light jet, registration PP-XVJ, take flight last August 5, departing from Embraer’s test runway, the longest in South America, at the Gaviao Peixoto plant. The crew consisted of Capt. Jeirgem Prust, Capt. John Sevalho Corcao, and flight test engineer Leandro Bigarella. Before its maiden flight, the aircraft was tested for several hours, accomplishing, among others, the electrical power-on check, engine run, and systems integration evaluations.

The first Phenom 300, which flew in late April, concluded the Ground Vibration Test (GVT) in early June. Based on those positive results, the aircraft is going through performance checks, in order to define the final aerodynamic configuration. In the meantime, the third and fourth Phenom 300s are in the assembly and pre-assembly stages, respectively.

Four aircraft will comprise the fleet to perform the certification and maturity campaigns of the Phenom 300. The first and second jets will be equipped with complete instrumentation, and the third and fourth test aircraft will be outfitted with the interior designed in partnership with BMW Group DesignworksUSA. Two other aircraft will be produced for the required structural ground tests (static and fatigue).

Embraer (Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica S.A. -NYSE: ERJ; Bovespa: EMBR3) is the world’s largest manufacturer of commercial jets up to 120 seats, and one of Brazil’s leading exporters. Embraer’s headquarters are located in Sao Jose dos Campos, Sao Paulo, and it has offices, industrial operations and customer service facilities in Brazil, the United States, France, Portugal, China and Singapore. Founded in 1969, the Company designs, develops, manufactures and sells aircraft for the Commercial Aviation, Executive Aviation, and Defense and Government segments. The Company also provides after sales support and services to customers worldwide. On June 30, 2008, Embraer had a workforce of 23,855 employees and a firm order backlog of US$ 20.7 billion.

Source