Embraer’s Legacy 500 program is gathering pace as the new midsize business jet is prepared for its maiden flight.

During a press conference here, Embraer Executive Jets president Ernie Edwards and COO Marco TúlioPellegrini unveiled a Legacy 500 model with the new exterior paint scheme. In stark black and white, it represents the morphing of ideas into reality in an age of technology. “While we focus on the first flight and the certification process,” said Edwards, “we are already preparing for entry into service.” That includes having worldwide product support in place before the airplane enters service.

“This is part of our effort to offer a high level of support to our customers, [and] one of our goals is to have Embraer-owned and authorized service centers prepared to receive the Legacy 500 on its first day in service,” said Edson Carlos Mallaco, vice president of customer support and services. At the same time, Embraer Executive Jets has begun signing letters of intent for authorized service centers around the world.

Here at NBAA’12, Embraer Executive Jets is displaying for the first time a complete Legacy 450 cabin and cockpit mockup. The Legacy 450 is the slightly smaller sister of the Legacy 500 and is expected to go into service in 2015. The interior on display, designed in partnership with DesignworksUSA, features a standup flat-floor cabin.