Embraer had a strong presence at EBACE 2001 to further market its Legacy business jet. As reported last year, Hellenic Air Force is the company’s launch customer in Europe. Vice chairman Sam Hill told EBAN why he believes the Legacy is well suited to European operations.

“I think it’s a perfect aeroplane for Europe,” said Hill. “It has a 3,200nm range with ten passengers, so it can hit any place you want to go on the continent and would also be an excellent aeroplane for occasional trips to North America.

“We’ve projected 240 total sales in the programme for ten years and I really feel that we’re going to get about 20-25 per cent of those sales in the European market. So we’re looking at about 48 to 50 aeroplanes.”

Asked why operators might choose the Legacy ahead of other competitors in the market, Hill said: “I think you would have to classify it as the best dollar value for the marketplace. We have a price of the super midsize classification of aeroplanes, 19-$19.5 million dollar aircraft, but the cabin size of the large aircraft such as the GIV, the Challenger 604. So we have a lot of cabin volume for the dollar you are paying.”

With reference to the Legacy’s first flight at the end of March, Hill said: “We flew the very first Legacy with all the fuels systems, the high altitude capabilities and increased speed on March 31. The next big date on our programme will be certification in Brazil scheduled for late July followed by the FAA certification in the US in August. After that, we would like to work with the JAA and bring the aeroplane to Europe certified in September or early October.”