Aircraft
Flight Control Snag Delays Embraer Legacy 450/500
The Embraer Phenom 500 prototype will not make its maiden flight by year-end as originally scheduled, due to delays stemming from the Parker remote

The Embraer Phenom 500 prototype will not make its maiden flight by year-end as originally scheduled, due to delays stemming from the Parker remote electronic unit software in the aircraft's fly-by-wire flight-control system. Company president and CEO Frederico Curado described the problem as "softness of flight control" during a third-quarter investor conference call last Friday, adding that Embraer is considering bringing this work in house to fix the issue.

Curado said Embraer now does not expect to fly the Legacy 500 until the second or third quarter of next year. Certification will also slip to the second half of 2013, which is about a year later than the original plan, though the Brazilian aircraft manufacturer could possibly meet its projected 2013 entry into service date for the midsize jet.