South Korean Demonstration Flight Impresses

Embraer S.A., the multinational aerospace manufacturer of commercial, military, executive, and agricultural aircraft founded in 1969 and headquartered in São Paulo, Brazil, announced on 16 March 2023 that one of its E190-E2 airliners had demonstrated outstanding short-field performance during a round-robin demonstration flight from Seoul, South Korea’s Gimpo Airport (GMP) to Pohang (KPO) and back.

Carrying upwards of eighty guests and fuel sufficient for the flight—which took the aircraft over Ulleungdo Island, a South Korean island some 65-nautical-miles east of the Korean Peninsula in the Sea of Japan—the E190-E2 conducted a simulated short short-field landing at KPO, touching down and coming to a controlled stop in only 3,497-feet. Such a figure, though unimpressive to Cessna 172 pilots, is nothing short of dazzling among airliners.

The model’s superb short-field performance renders the E190-E2 the only narrowbody aircraft capable of operating legally, rain or shine, from 3,900-foot runways—such as that of the new Ulleungdo Island Airport scheduled to be completed by 2025.

In conjunction with the E190-E2 GMP-KPO-GMP demonstration flight, Embraer Commercial Aviation chief commercial officer Martyn Holmes signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Mr Lee Cheol Woo, Governor of South Korea’s Gyeongsangbuk-do Province. Subject memorandum serves to promote collaboration between Embraer and Gyeongsangbuk-do Province—South Korea’s largest—across key aviation-related endeavors.

South Korea’s government and Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transportation (MOLIT) aspire to better the peninsular nation’s provincial connectivity. By virtue of its short-field performance and excellent range, Embraer’s E190-E2 narrow-body commercial jet is eminently compatible with South Korea’s intra-country connectivity objectives.

Embraer’s E-Jet family is a series of four-abreast, narrow-body, short-to-medium range, twin-engine, jet airliners. The design’s commercial success derives largely of its ability to efficiently serve lower-density routes while offering many of the same amenities and features of larger commercial aircraft.

The E-Jet family comprises two series: the smaller, base-model E170 and E175 jets, and the stretched E190 and E195 aircraft. The E170 and E175 share 95% commonality, as do the E190 and E195; the two families share near 89% commonality, as evinced by their identical fuselage cross-sections and avionics.

To the subject of powerplants, the E170 and E175 are powered by General Electric’s 14,200-lbf CF34-8E turbofan engine, while the stretched E190 and E195 make use of the 20,000-lbf General Electric CF34-10E mill. The noise-signatures and emissions of both engines exceed the requirements established by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). Ergo, E-Jet operators retain the ability to service noise-sensitive airports such as London City (LCY), Teterboro (TEB), John Wayne (SNA), Santa Monica (SMO), and Naples, Florida (APF).

To date, Embraer has logged orders for north of 1,900 E-Jets from more than one-hundred customers. Presently, no fewer than eighty airlines operate Embraer E-Jets.

FMI: www.embraer.com