B/CA Show News - NBAA 2007 Day 2 - (Page 74)

N B A A 2 0 07 Embraer Shows Mid-Size Jet Concepts Luis Carlos Affonso, Embraer’s senior vp for corporate aviation, announced Monday that the company (Booth 3737) is taking refundable deposits to secure “letters of interest” for both a mid-light jet (MLJ) and a mid-size jet (MSJ) concept. Both Affonso and Frederico Curado, Embraer CEO and president, emphasized that the announcement wasn’t a product launch, but the LOIs do assure customers production slots, if the company elects to Embraer svp Luis Carlos Affonso (left) and Frederico Curado, president and CEO. proceed with the programs. airplanes having outstanding cabThe two aircraft would have the room and flat floors. “We believe we have an interior ins,” Affonso explained. BMW largest cabin cross-sections in the mid-size class, offering 6 ft of head- advantage. We’re proposing two Group DesignworksUSA is designing the interiors of the two aircraft. They would share common engines, wings, empennages, fuselage cross-sections and systems, but MSJ would be first to be developed. MLJ would be about 6.5 ft shorter than MSJ. Curado said that the company “is committed to pursuing avenues for growth, not necessarily just new products.” Affonso explained that the two aircraft would plug the gap between the Phenom 300 and Legacy 600. Embraer’s business jet backlog now tops $3 billion and accounts for 15.3% of its revenues. That’s a fiveWells Fargo Aviation is playing the nostalgia card at Booth 7631. fold increase since 2005. Curado intends to boost that portion to 20% in coming years. “Our quest is to become a major force in business aviation, but we’re proceeding slowly, going step by So, you want to go from St. Louis climb aboard the six-horse Constep. This unveiling (MSJ and MLJ) to San Francisco? No problem. cord Coach—imagine the travel is not a product launch, but it’s an important step in the evaluation process to fill the niche between the Phenom 300 and the Legacy 600,” he said. Curado explained that some of the main demand drivers for business aircraft are strong growth in stock markets, corporate profits and personal net worth, particularly in emerging markets. Such macro economic factors are complemented by increasing airline-travel hassle factors including air terminal congestion and security check-in delays that drive air travelers away from the airlines. Curado also said that Embraer’s 2006 market forecast for 11,115 business aircraft deliveries worth $169 billion during the next decade may have to be revised upward in light of Honeywell’s new 14,000 aircraft deliveries—$230 billion revenue projections for the same time period. Embraer also said that its 2008 Legacy 600 will feature a new cabin design with two inches more headroom, slim-line overhead panels, lowered cabin floor and larger capacity galley with optional wine cooler and refrigerator. The interior also gets larger flat-panel monitors and new seats that fully recline into berths. Embraer delivered 10 Legacy aircraft in 2002, and last year 27 units were delivered. This year, 31 aircraft are slated for delivery. Next year, that number will increase substantially with the first customer deliveries of the Phenom 100 in the second half of 2008. —Fred George Coach Class, 1800s Style, Maybe Today’s Ain’t So Bad Your transport can carry up to 18 passengers; it is operated by a two-man crew well versed in emergency procedures. Oh, and the trip will take 21 days—at an average five miles per hour. That’s how it was back when the Wells Fargo stagecoach, symbol of the American West, was the transport of the day. At NBAA, visitors to the Wells Fargo Business Aviation Group at Booth 7631 can experience in the 1800s—and have themselves photographed with the stagecoach. By comparison, a business jet today carrying the same number of passengers (and all in the cabin, unlike stagecoach travelers, half of whom had to ride outside) would make the St. Louis-San Francisco trip in four hours. And the co-pilot wouldn’t need to carry a shotgun. Embraer’s goal is to differentiate its new jets in a crowded marketplace. 74 September 26, 2007 www.aviationweek.com/shownews http://www.aviationweek.com/shownews

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of B/CA Show News - NBAA 2007 Day 2

Contents Spectrum Stresses Freedom Adam Shows A700 Cabin User Fee War of Words Execujet Boosts Services Saab's Got Your Back CAE Covers the Field London Airports Roundup Pratt & Whitney Canada Another Show! A More Digital Jeppesen CMC Rides Bizjet Wave Thales Weighs In We Fly the Eclipse 500

B/CA Show News - NBAA 2007 Day 2

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