The Embraer Legacy 600 is a
business jet
A business jet, private jet, or bizjet is a jet aircraft designed for transporting small groups of people. Business jets may be adapted for other roles, such as the evacuation of casualties or express parcel deliveries, and some are used by pub ...
derivative of the
Embraer ERJ 145 family
The Embraer ERJ family (for Embraer Regional Jet, model names EMB-135, EMB-140 and EMB-145) are regional jets designed and produced by the Brazilian aerospace company Embraer. The family includes the ERJ135 (37 passengers), ERJ140 (44 passenger ...
of commercial jet aircraft.
Design and development
The Legacy 600 (market designation adopted after 2005) is based on the ERJ-135 model. It was launched in 2000 at the
Farnborough Airshow
The Farnborough Airshow, officially the Farnborough International Airshow, is a trade exhibition for the aerospace and defence industries, where civilian and military aircraft are demonstrated to potential customers and investors. Since its fir ...
as the "Legacy 2000". The Legacy carries 13 passengers in three partitioned sections for or 8 passengers for . It features added range via extra
fuel tank
A fuel tank (also called a petrol tank or gas tank) is a safe container for flammable fluids. Though any storage tank for fuel may be so called, the term is typically applied to part of an engine system in which the fuel is stored and propel ...
s in the tail behind the baggage compartment and forward of the wing,
winglets
Wingtip devices are intended to improve the efficiency of fixed-wing aircraft by reducing drag. Although there are several types of wing tip devices which function in different manners, their intended effect is always to reduce an aircraft' ...
, and an extensive drag reduction program. It is certified to altitude versus for the airline configuration. The Legacy Shuttle can seat 19 to 37 in airline-style seats but without the range.
The first flight was made in June 2000, with the prototype of the ERJ-135 (PT-ZJA). This same aircraft was once the prototype of the first ERJ-145. New
winglets
Wingtip devices are intended to improve the efficiency of fixed-wing aircraft by reducing drag. Although there are several types of wing tip devices which function in different manners, their intended effect is always to reduce an aircraft' ...
and new wing-to-fuselage fairing was added, but no additional fuel tanks were available. The new fuselage fuel tanks were ready for the second prototype (PT-XJO), along with engine and avionics, that flew only in March 31st 2001. It was the second Embraer model to feature winglets, as the first were installed on the EMB-145SA military model. Embraer
winglet
Wingtip devices are intended to improve the efficiency of fixed-wing aircraft by reducing drag. Although there are several types of wing tip devices which function in different manners, their intended effect is always to reduce an aircraft' ...
models differed in shape and structure, due to their optimum design speed.
The Legacy 600 competes on the upper end of the small to mid-sized range of business jets and is considered a "Heavy Jet" aircraft. It has nearly the opposite design progression as the rival
Canadair Challenger
The Bombardier Challenger 600 series is a family of business jets developed by Canadair after a Bill Lear concept, and then produced from 1986 by its new owner, Bombardier Aerospace.
At the end of 1975, Canadair began funding the developmen ...
. The Legacy 600 was derived from the established
ERJ family of
regional jet
A regional jet (RJ) is a jet-powered regional airliner with fewer than 100 seats. The first one was the Sud-Aviation Caravelle in 1959, followed by the widespread Yakovlev Yak-40, Fokker F-28, and BAe 146. The 1990s saw the emergence of th ...
s, while the
Canadair Regional Jet
The Bombardier CRJ or CRJ Series (for Canadair Regional Jet) is a family of regional jets introduced in 1991 by Bombardier Aerospace. The CRJ was formerly manufactured by Bombardier Aerospace with the manufacturing of the first CRJ generation, t ...
was developed by
Bombardier from the Challenger business jet. Both lines of aircraft are competitors. Embraer has since launched an extensive lineup of business aircraft, from the entry-level
Phenom 100
The Embraer EMB-500 Phenom 100 is a light business jet designed and produced by the Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer.
The project was announced in November 2005. On 26 July 2007, the aircraft made its first flight. It was awarded a type ...
to the
Lineage 1000
The Embraer Lineage 1000 is a variant of the Embraer 190 regional jet airliner, launched as a private jet on May 2, 2006. Manufactured by the Brazilian aerospace firm Embraer, the Lineage is advertised as an "ultra-large" business jet with comf ...
, a bizliner version of the company's 100-seat
E190
The Embraer E-Jet family is a series of four-abreast narrow-body short- to medium-range twin-engine jet airliners designed and produced by the Brazilian aerospace manufacturer Embraer.
The E-Jet was designed as a complement to the preceding E ...
.
With the updated Mark I cockpit of the EMB-145, the Legacy includes a
Honeywell
Honeywell International Inc. is an American publicly traded, multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. It primarily operates in four areas of business: aerospace, building technologies, performance ma ...
Primus Elite avionics suite
glass cockpit
A glass cockpit is an aircraft cockpit that features electronic (digital) flight instrument displays, typically large LCD screens, rather than the traditional style of analog dials and gauges. While a traditional cockpit relies on numerous mech ...
.
U.S. private aviation companies offering Legacy 600-family business jets for charter include Embraer Executive Jet Services,
Clay Lacy Aviation
Clay Lacy Aviation is a business aviation company founded at Van Nuys Airport (KVNY) in 1968 by Clay Lacy. Clay Lacy Aviation provides aircraft management, private air charter, aircraft maintenance, fixed-base operator (FBO) and other services to ...
, ExcelAire, Aircraft Services Group and Jet Edge International.
Legacy 650
Announced at the 2009 NBAA show, the Legacy 650 is a longer-range version of the Legacy 600, giving it a range capability of 7,220 km (3,900 nmi) non-stop with four passengers, or carry 1,134 kg more than the 600 for a 6,290 km trip. It features also a lowered alley, with increased headroom. It was certified by the FAA in February 2011.
Embraer had a joint venture with
Aviation Industry Corp. in China assembling Legacy 650a and
ERJ-145
The Embraer ERJ family (for Embraer Regional Jet, model names EMB-135, EMB-140 and EMB-145) are regional jets designed and produced by the Brazilian aerospace company Embraer. The family includes the ERJ135 (37 passengers), ERJ140 (44 passenger ...
s from 2004 to 2016.
An enhanced version, the 650E, was announced at the 2016 NBAA and scheduled for introduction in 2017. It includes a
synthetic vision system
A synthetic vision system (SVS) is a computer-mediated reality system for aerial vehicles, that uses 3D to provide pilots with clear and intuitive means of understanding their flying environment.
Functionality
Synthetic vision provides situati ...
and
autothrottle
An autothrottle (automatic throttle, also known as autothrust, A/T) is a system that allows a pilot to control the power setting of an aircraft's engines by specifying a desired flight characteristic, rather than manually controlling the fuel flo ...
as standard, a restyled three-zone interior and comes with a 10-year or 10,000-flight-hour warranty. In August 2020 Embraer announced that it was stopping sales of the Legacy 650.
Accident and incidents
On 29 September 2006, an
ExcelAire
ExcelAire, LLC is a United States air charter company based at Long Island MacArthur Airport in Ronkonkoma, New York. ExcelAire LLC specializes in worldwide jet and helicopter charters, aircraft management, maintenance and aircraft sales.
Founded ...
Legacy (registered N600XL) collided with
Gol Transportes Aéreos Flight 1907
Gol Transportes Aéreos Flight 1907 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Manaus, Brazil, to Brasília and Rio de Janeiro. On 29 September 2006, the Boeing 737-800 operating the flight collided with an Embraer Legacy 600 business jet ...
Boeing 737 while cruising over the northern state of
Mato Grosso
Mato Grosso ( – lit. "Thick Bush") is one of the states of Brazil, the third largest by area, located in the Central-West region. The state has 1.66% of the Brazilian population and is responsible for 1.9% of the Brazilian GDP.
Neighboring ...
, Brazil. The Boeing crashed to the ground and all 154 passengers and crew were killed, while the Embraer jet, despite serious damage to the left horizontal stabilizer and left winglet, was able to continue flying and managed to land at a Brazilian military airfield (
Cachimbo Air Force Base).
Aircraft deliveries
Specifications
See also
References
External links
*
*
*
Embraer Legacy 650 Private Jets
{{Embraer
2000s Brazilian business aircraft
Embraer aircraft
T-tail aircraft
Twinjets
Aircraft first flown in 2001
Low-wing aircraft