Embraer’s newest business jet, the Legacy 450, made its maiden flight on December 28, putting the program right on schedule. Flown by company test pilots Eduardo Camelier and Eugênio Cará, along with flight-test engineer Carlos Kobayashi, the twinjet successfully demonstrated its handling and performance characteristics during the 1 hour 35 minute flight.

The aircraft, launched in 2008 along with the Legacy 500, shares an avionics package with its larger sibling. “The full fly-by-wire system with sidestick flight controls made the flight very smooth,” said Camelier. “With the advanced avionics suite, the aircraft operation was easy and intuitive.”

As intended, the 450’s development process has lagged that of the midsize 500 by a year, with the latter expected to be certified this year and the former next year. To date, the Legacy 500 flight-test fleet has logged more than 900 hours. The most recent achievement was the rollout and flight of Legacy S/N 004, the first production aircraft, which took place late last year. This will become the demonstrator aircraft, Embraer said.