Chad is the editor of AINalerts, AIN's daily business aviation newsletter, and is also the news editor at AIN Media Group.&nbsp;He has been writing about aviation, with an emphasis on business aviation, since 1994. Chad started his writing career at The Avion,&nbsp;the&nbsp;student newspaper at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida, serving as editor-in-chief before graduating with a bachelor's in aeronautical science. After a stint as managing editor at Professional Pilot&nbsp;magazine, he joined&nbsp;AIN in late 1998. Chad holds a commercial pilot certificated with instrument and multi-engine ratings, and he also is a CFI/CFII. He lives and works from his home in Venice, Florida.

Online Editor

Chad Trautvetter

Embraer Executive Jets (Booth 7041) continues to expand at its headquarters in Melbourne, Florida. The business jet division of the Brazilian aircraft manufacturer has been assembling and delivering Phenoms since 2011 at the southeast U.S. complex and its customer center there has been open for about a year and a half. In addition, it is building a new engineering center, and there is ample room for further growth.


The Phenom assembly facility opened there in February 2011, with Phenom 100s rolling down the line four months later and Phenom 300s in September 2012. Embraer’s light jets are now being assembled in Florida at a rate of three aircraft per month, less than half of the full capacity of eight a month. Currently, two Phenom 300s are coming off the line for every Phenom 100, reflecting the popularity of the company’s larger light jet.


The company is also completing these U.S.-made Phenoms at the facility, finishing the interiors in the assembly hangar after initial production test flights. Embraer has the flexibility to paint aircraft either before or after flight test, using a modern downdraft paint booth that can accommodate aircraft as large as a Legacy 500.


After the aircraft are completed, Phenom deliveries for customers outside of Brazil are also taking place at the customer center in Melbourne–since November 2011 for Phenom 100s and since this March for Phenom 300s. Customers from around the world also visit the center to select interior elements for all Embraer business jet models: the Phenom, Legacy and Lineage.


Meanwhile, earlier thisyear Embraer began construction on a 67,000-sq-ft engineering and technology center at the site. The engineering center is expected to generate 200 jobs over the next five years, and a handful of engineers are currently working from a temporary facility in Melbourne, initially focusing on executive jet interiors. The center will be charged with conducting research and development for product and technology and will include a materials testing lab.

Embraer Executive Jets Firmly Planted in Melbourne, Florida

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