Fourth Aircraft Joins Test Fleet
Brazilian planemaker Embraer tells ANN it is moving "steadily
forward" with its Phenom 300 light jet program, with the first
flight of the fourth test aircraft at the end of February 2009.
This jet, with registration number PP-XVL, and the third
(PP-XVK), which first flew on December 23, 2008, are being operated
from the Company’s Flight Test Center at the Gavião
Peixoto plant, in Brazil, alongside the first two Phenom 300
executive jets.
The test fleet is comprised of four aircraft: two fully
instrumented, one equipped with basic interior and flight test
instrumentation, and another with interior furnishings, which will
be used for function and reliability tests and in the maturity
campaign. So far, the entire fleet has performed over 300 hours of
test flight campaign.
"As the Phenom 300 light jet certification and maturity campaign
progresses, the deliveries of the first Phenom 100 entry level jets
are taking place," said Maurício Almeida Filho, Embraer Vice
President, Programs – Executive Jets. "We expect this crucial
phase for the Phenom 300 to be every bit as successful as it was
for the Phenom 100."
Flight and ground tests are presently moving ahead, having
already concluded in-flight engine thrust determination (IFTD) and
restart, water spray, fire extinguishing, fuel tests, and
artificial ice shapes, among others. The Phenom 300 has flown at an
altitude of 45,000 feet, while maintaining the cabin altitude as
low as 6,600 feet. It has demonstrated the maximum cruising speed
of 450 knots (KTAS), or 833 km/h, and Mach 0.78. Rigs have been
used to refine avionics, to check the airplane’s
environmental systems, and to test the electrical system.
Ongoing tests include aerodynamics and natural ice, as well as
data collection for the full flight simulator development. The
autopilot is being put through its paces, and avionics tests are
successfully proceeding. Lightning strike, High Intensity Radiated
Field (HIRF), external noise, crosswinds, and cold soak tests are
scheduled to begin, soon.
The Phenom 300 certification campaign will require around 1,400
flight hours, and progresses toward its conclusion in the second
half of 2009. The Phenom 100 and Phenom 300 light jets have a
combined sales backlog of more than 800 aircraft, according to
Embraer.