Embraer Executive Jets unveiled a new version of its flagship business jet–the Lineage 1000E–at this year’s NBAA convention. The E-model comes with extended range, an enhanced interior with the latest-generation cabin entertainment system, new cockpit options and a new external look.

Embraer said it has increased the range of the ultra-large jet from 4,400 nm to 4,600 nm with eight passengers by lowering its empty weight. The manufacturer boiled out more than 500 pounds by redesigning the forward fuselage and removing an unused door; removing 12 to 13 unused “mirage” windows previously hidden behind cabinetry, depending on the interior modules; and optimizing fuselage supports.

Engineers also redesigned wiring harnesses and routing throughout the cabin and attached remote boxes of the in-flight entertainment system to the fuselage with lighter attachments.

Cabin interior enhancements, including the replacement of hardwood with veneer on table surfaces and side ledges, contributed to the effort. “In the process of designing and manufacturing the new [cabin] modules, we’ve also found a lot of opportunities to save weight,” said Augusto Salgado da Rocha, Embraer Executive Jets senior manager of product strategy. “Every single piece of the interior had a design target theoretically calculated before the piece was complete, and every single piece was controlled very strictly to make sure we would get to our design targets.”

The lighter Lineage 1000E can carry more payload for the same range as its earlier version or carry the same payload while burning less fuel. The range extension makes available routes that were previously considered marginal, such as from São Paulo to New York, which can be unattainable in certain wind conditions. Embraer brags that the E-model will provide further range from Aspen, Colo., where a wingspan restriction rules out the Boeing BBJ1 and Airbus ACJ319/318 bizliners.

Home Away From Home

With 752 sq ft of floor space, the Lineage provides a “home away from home,” Embraer likes to say. Indeed, the E-model offers amenities befitting a home. Assisted by a new supplier, List components & Furniture of Thomasberg, Austria, Embraer has finessed the big jet’s interior design “to the smallest details,” added new seats and functionalities and incorporated the Honeywell Ovation Select digital cabin management system, which can be operated by iPads or passenger touchscreen controls.

“There was a lot of room for improvement [possible] in terms of weight in the original design of the interior,” Salgado said. “As we opened ourselves to this possibility of redesigning the whole interior again, we decided to go after all those opportunities we thought we could have taken in the past and we took them now.”

As options in the cockpit, the Lineage 1000E can be equipped for autoland and a combined head-up display and enhanced-vision system, with an infrared camera installed in the aircraft’s nose. The package helps reduce operating minima to Cat II operations, even for Cat 1 or nonprecision airports, according to Embraer.

There are currently 14 Lineage 1000 executive jets in service worldwide. The earlier version of the Lineage retails for some $53 million. Embraer would not disclose the price point for the E-model, which is on display on the static line at Las Vegas Henderson ExecutiveAirport. “It’s already available; the one at the show is for sale,” Salgado related.

New Phenom 100 Edition

Also making its NBAA debut is the Phenom 100 “2014 edition” of Embraer’s entry-level twinjet, an upgrade that includes multifunction inboard spoilers as standard equipment. The new flight-control surface, shown as a prototype at the LABACE conference in São Paulo in August, acts as a ground spoiler that increases drag and reduces lift on landing and as a speed brake that reduces speed and increases sink rate on approach. It will be available as a service bulletin retrofit for existing Phenom 100s.

Embraer is now offering 11 improved interior choices or “collections” for the light jet, expanding on the six original choices. (The latest interior themes are: Amber, Bronzite, Crystal, Emerald, Mystic, Pearl, Ruby, Sapphire, Smokey Quartz, Sunstone and Tiffany.) Among options are a premium cabin seat from UTC-Goodrich with the same functionalities as in the Phenom 300 at three of four seating positions (it is not allowed near the emergency exit); a new optional stowage compartment; and a small galley that replaces a wardrobe in the forward section. As the name implies, Embraer will begin delivering the 2014 edition by early next year.

The “Prodigy Touch” flight deck in Embraer’s Phenom 300 light jet, based on the new, touchscreen-capable Garmin G3000 avionics suite, was certified by the Brazilian National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC) and the FAA in May. Embraer expects that EASA will certify the system next spring. NetJets has ordered Prodigy Touch for its 125 “Signature Series” Phenom 300s, and the system is available as an optional upgrade to the standard Garmin G1000-based Prodigy flight deck.

Embraer is also offering as an option an additional 419 pounds of maximum takeoff weight and 221 pounds of increased payload, which it said is useful for high-density configurations. An optional 175-mile range increase for a Phenom 300 with six passengers is already available.

The Brazilian manufacturer has a large presence at this year’s NBAA show, in whole or part exhibiting six of its seven executive jets. In addition to showcasing the Lineage 1000E and the Phenom 100 and 300 on the static line at Henderson ExecutiveAirport, Embraer brought the prototype Legacy 500 midsize jet for its NBAA debut as well as the Legacy 650 large jet. It is also showcasing a cabin mockup of the new “mid-light” Legacy 450 in the Las Vegas Convention Center (Booth No. N2532).