Embraer has announced the completion of the first European conversion of a Legacy 450 to a Praetor 500 for an undisclosed customer. The conversion was performed at the Embraer Executive Jets Service centre at Le Bourget International airport in Paris, France.

“These conversions are only made possible by the expertise of structures and avionics specialists, mechanics, logistics teams and engineers from Embraer operations around the globe,” says Johann Bordais, president and CEO, Embraer Service & Support. “Per Embraer's strategy for the future, we are consistently investing in and expanding our portfolio, focused on offering our customers the industry's best services and support.”

Located at one of the busiest airports in Europe, 20 minutes from downtown Paris, the Le Bourget service centre has been in operation since 2012, providing routine checks, scheduled and unscheduled maintenance, and offering the ability to deploy rescue teams, specialised in executive jets support and maintenance, throughout Europe.

The full process to convert a Legacy 450 (2,900 nm range) into a Praetor 500 (3,340 nm) can be performed at the following Embraer-owned service centres: Le Bourget in France, Windsor Locks, Connecticut and Fort Lauderdale, Florida in the US, and Sorocaba in Brazil. In total, Embraer has already converted 11 Legacy 450s into Praetor 500s.

In order to generate the range improvements that are synonymous with the Praetor 500, the level-sensing wiring in the fuel tanks was replaced, the over-wing gravity fuelling ports were moved, the fuel-measurement system was relocated and the wing ribs were reinforced to hold additional weight. These adjustments entailed updates to the flight control systems, including a new avionics load for the acclaimed Collins Aerospace Pro Line Fusion flight deck.

Most noticeably, the swept winglets of the Praetor were installed, and the placards and logos were replaced to officially convert the Legacy 450 into a Praetor 500. With the Praetor 500 comes an unparalleled blend of technology, comfort and performance. In terms of technology, the Praetor 500 features the industry-first E2VS, a head-up display that combines synthetic and enhanced vision. Plus, it is the only midsize business jet with full fly-by-wire flight controls and turbulence reduction capability.

The Praetor 500 cabin is the only midsize business jet to feature a true six-foot-tall, flat-floor cabin, stone flooring, a wet galley and a vacuum lavatory, all with plenty of baggage space.