Embraer’s two newest business jets–the Legacy 450 and 500–flew into Geneva International Airport Sunday afternoon, joining a full slate of the company’s product line on the static display. The Legacy 450 is making its European debut ahead of expected certification in the second half of this year. On the eve of EBACE 2015, AIN senior editor Matt Thurber traveled to Embraer’s São José dos Campos, Brazil headquarters to fly the Legacy 500 with test pilot Eduardo Camelier.

At first glance, the Legacy 500 looks large, and in many ways it is. The flat-floor, for example, adds a spacious feel to the 826-cu-ft cabin, which is larger than that of the Citation Sovereign+ at 620 cu ft but smaller than the Challenger 300/350 at 860 cu ft and the Gulfstream G280, the largest at 935 cu ft. Of the three competitors, only the Challenger has a flat-floor cabin. The Challenger and G280 are the only jets with a taller cabin compared to the 72 inches of the Legacy 450/500, with the Challenger offering one more inch and the G280 three more inches. Range of the Legacy 500 is 3,125 nm at 433 ktas, a little further than the Sovereign+’s 3,000 nm and less than the G280’s 3,600 nm.

The Legacy 500’s Rockwell Collins Pro Line Fusion-equipped flight deck is not only roomy, too, but uncluttered and logically laid out based on sound human factors principles. Sidestick controls help maximize cockpit space. Cockpit windows are extra-large and provide excellent visibility.

The 110-cu-ft external baggage compartment is quite high off the ground, but accessible via an optional (but free) ladder that fits neatly into the door. Optional heating is available for the baggage compartment, but it isn’t pressurized. An additional 45 cu ft of baggage space is available inside the cabin, just aft of the lavatory, and this is plenty of space to handle carry-on luggage that passengers may need to access during flight.

Small touches reveal the intent of Embraer designers, to add extra attention to the interior and exterior. For example, no lightning diversion strips are visible on the smooth unblemished radome; engineers were able to figure out a way to provide the lightning protection even with the strips embedded in the radome’s composite skin. Inside the cabin, attention to detail is even more pronounced, with List Components & Furniture granite-veneer flooring in the forward galley area and lavatory, power outlets and tablet or magazine pockets at each seat and a carefully fitted milled end piece where the bulkheads meet the cabin shell and valence, designed to look good no matter how interior components shift around slightly as the fuselage stretches and shrinks during normal operations.

Like many modern business jets, the emergency exit is in the lavatory. Large cabin windows are fitted with mechanical shades, but Embraer plans to offer electronic dimming shades as an option.

As it did with the Legacy 650 and Lineage 1000, Embraer selected Honeywell’s Ovation cabin management system for the new Legacys, and this is controllable from passenger control units or iOS and Android devices. Auxiliary panels allow connection of a variety of devices using interfaces such as HDMI, USB, RCA, VGA and 3.5mm audio. Ovation offers full HD video and surround-sound audio. Connectivity options include Aircell’s Gogo Business Aviation air-to-ground broadband Internet system and Cobham SwiftBroadband or ICG Iridium satcom.

Both 17.5- or 19-inch monitors are available for the forward and aft bulkheads, and each seat has a receptacle mount for a nine-inch monitor as well as passenger control units. The forward-facing VIP seat in the first club section has a master control unit that can also adjust cabin temperature and a handset for the ICG Iridium satcom. Seats have footrests and ‘headwings’ and two seats can fold together to make a lie-flat bed.

Embraer put an enormous amount of effort into quieting the new Legacys, both inside and outside the cabin. The Honeywell 36-150 APU is mounted with high-performance isolators to block noise, and the Honeywell turbofans are also mounted on soft engine mounts for the same purpose. The cockpit profile is aerodynamically smoothed to minimize wind noise and the main landing gear is fully covered, a first for Embraer. External antennas are mounted fore and aft and away from the occupied part of the cabin, also to minimize noise. Mufflers in the environmental control system vent lines help, too, as does an inflatable main door seal.

The single air-cycle machine is mounted well away from the cabin, and the pressurization outflow valve is mounted with a noise barrier for maximum quietness. Interior insulation includes skin-damping material, a sound-barrier layer and panel isolators on interior panels and low-noise carpet pad. The three hydraulic systems have attenuators and are also soft-mounted. The location of electrical equipment in the bays next to the interior aft baggage area also minimizes noise.

The result of all these efforts “sets a new benchmark for cabin noise levels,” according to Alvadi Serpa, who is in charge of product strategy for Embraer Executive Jets. “It’s three to four decibels lower than the Challenger 300,” he said. During the flight in the Legacy 500, I moved to the rear-most seat of the cabin’s aft divan and was able to speak with and clearly hear flight test engineer Gustavo Paixão sitting in the forward-most, aft-facing club seat.

Standard seating is eight seats in two double-clubs, with one optional belted lavatory seat. The aft seats can be replaced by one or two three-place divans that are approved for takeoff and landing. The forward cabinet across from the galley can be replaced by either a single passenger seat or a fold-up jumpseat. Maximum passenger capacity is 12 seats.

Flying the Legacy 500

When it came time to fly the Legacy 500, Camelier and I were joined by Paixão and demonstration/instructor pilot Rafael Ricardo. With 7,780 pounds of fuel (about half tanks), two pilots and two crew, the Legacy 500 weighed just over 32,000 pounds at takeoff, well below the 37,919 lb maximum takeoff weight.

The weather at São José dos Campos Airport was VFR with scattered clouds and 21 deg C, about 10 degrees warmer than ISA. With flaps 1 set, we planned an initial climb directly to FL450. V1 was 112 knots, rotation speed 117 knots and V2 124 knots, as automatically calculated by the Pro Line Fusion avionics once we inserted the weight-and-balance data.

The Legacy 500 fly-by-wire (FBW) system is a fully closed loop system and provides envelope protection features that prevent the pilot from exceeding certain limits. There are two flight envelopes designed into the FBW system, normal and limit. In the normal mode, the stick moves relatively easily until the limits are reached (33 degrees bank, plus 30 and minus 15 degrees pitch, VMO and 1.13 Vs (stall speed). The pilot can steer outside the normal envelope into the limit envelope, but would need to hold pressure on the sidestick to do so.

The sticks are spring-loaded to provide some control feel, and they always return to the centered or neutral position when let go. The key to flying the Legacy 500 is that the FBW system maintains a stable flight path. Whenever the pilot allows the stick to return to neutral, the airplane will remain on whatever flight path was selected. The FBW system also automatically trims and compensates for pitch and yaw during turns and for roll during sideslips.

After a smooth takeoff, we rocketed up to FL450 in just 20 minutes, thanks to our light weight and the 7,036-pound thrust Honeywell HTF7500E turbofans. I tried some turns and got used to controlling the flight path with the sidestick. We stabilized at Mach .80 burning 700 pounds of fuel per side.

We descended to a block altitude below 25,000 feet to try some maneuvers and I was able to experience a variety of the Legacy 500’s unique FBW characteristics, including pushing the stick into the limit envelope during steep turns, an approach to stall and recovery, wind-up turns, overspeed protection, flying in direct mode as opposed to normal and much more.

Returning to São José dos Campos, we shot an RNAV approach to Runway 15 and landed then did a touch-and-go. During the second approach, at 200 feet above the ground, we simulated an engine failure, and I was able to experience the FBW system’s ability to apply most of the rudder needed to handle the asymmetric thrust while compensating for roll but leaving a bit of rudder to keep the pilot in the loop. On the final landing, we switched on the autobraking system and landed with flaps full. After touching down on the main wheels, I pushed the stick forward fairly quickly, and the FBW system gently eased the nosewheel onto the runway. The autobrakes kicked in and brought us to a rapid and short stop, aided by the powerful anti-skid carbon brakes and without any application of reverse thrust.

This is the first FBW aircraft that I have flown, and I was surprised not only at how easy it flies but how well it handles. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but the Legacy 500 does exactly what the pilot asks for and does so smoothly and effectively. I never felt like I was out of the loop or as through the FBW was doing something that I didn’t expect. I don’t think it will take pilots long to learn to fly the Legacy 500, and if this flight was any indication, they are going to enjoy the process immensely. And when transitioning to the Legacy 450, there will be no extra training required as they are both considered the same for type rating training purposes.