Fly: A Disruptive Spirit

A DISRUPTIVE

SPIRIT The new Praetors are taking aim at the Midsize Jet market with style and hi-tech facilities. Their cabins feature innovative furnishings and exciting audio and video streaming systems enabling passengers to fly between London and New York to the rhythm of the Bossa Nova

Praetor is definitely an unusual name for a business jet, but it does reflect the Brazilian style of Embraer, whose other jets bear names like Legacy and Phenom. Praetor doesn’t only refer to the magistrates of imperial Rome, it derives from the Latin verb praeire, which means to go before, to blaze the trail. After fifteen-years of success the company then had to revamp its popular Legacy 450 and 500 models, equipping them with modern technology. The result was the creation of the Praetor 500 and 600. The Praetor 600 especially is an updated version of the Legacy 500, which provided valuable experience of fly-bywire controls. The new aircraft now has a range of 3,900 nautical miles (7,440 km), more powerful engines and avionics featuring a synthetic vision system (SVS) enabling the aircraft to execute an automatic approach to airports with a visibility of only 1,300 metres, down to a minimum height of 150 feet (46 metres). Embraer’s fly-by-wire is the flight path stable type used by Airbus and Dassault, in contrast to the pitch/trim-stable type used by Boeing and Gulfstream. The difference lies in the fact that on the Praetor the controls replicate exactly the response of traditional mechanical hydraulic systems, enabling pilots to fly the aircraft while experiencing the type of feedback they are familiar with. Once the flight path has been set the aircraft will maintain course and altitude without the need for any intervention. All in all the Praetor is bound to please pilots, as their “office” will be a carefully thought-out work environment with instruments and systems that have attained unequalled levels of integration and modernity. Even the transfer of fuel between the tanks in the aft fuselage and the wing tanks is automated, a useful way of keeping the aircraft’s centre of gravity in the correct position, improving cruising performance. Finally, as well as offering a protected flight envelope – in other words, the aircraft cannot be put into unusual positions – the Praetor 600 has a highly efficient automatic braking system. It is interesting to note that the plane’s maximum take-off weight is 19.44 tonnes, with an empty operational weight of 11.5. As the standard cabin layout includes two pilots and eight passengers (as the maximum is twelve, this leaves up to 7.3 tonnes of load available for fuel). Even taking into account the

The Praetor 600 has a range of 3,900 miles and a high-altitude cruising speed of 466 knots. Its avionics include a synthetic vision system (SVS) that automatically handles airport approaches down to visibilities of only 1,300 metres and a minimum altitude of 150 feet

reserves demanded by international regulations, this is enough to cover distances like the London-New York run. The aircraft also offers a good cruising speed, 466 knots (863 km/h) at high altitude, powered by two Honeywell HTF7500E engines. After describing the aircraft type and its performance we can now take a look at its real strength, the look of the cabin interiors chosen by the purchaser, which journalists have described as disruptive. Facilities include domestic-type Wi-Fi connectivity, touchscreen cabin controls for climate control and lighting, immersive audio and video streaming, plus a cinema-style sound system. Internet connectivity is managed by Viasat Ka-band and Gogo Avance L5 systems, so passengers can enjoy the same high-speed connection throughout their flight, on land and in the air. The combination of comfort and hightech functionality means the Praetor 600’s cabin is perfect for work and entertainment alike. All this is down to the work of chief designer Jay Beever and his team, concentrating on a complete interior restyling compared to the Legacy models. The interior of the Praetors has been given the name Bossa Nova, and a clear, precise philosophy underpins its creation – to use innovative shapes for the furnishings and to make sure the technology remains tucked away when it isn’t needed. The result is an elegant, sophisticated cabin that’s full of discreet details like the high-end clock decorations or the complex, supercar-style shapes that only allow the technology to appear when required. Take, for example, the light switches that disappear to leave smooth, uninterrupted surfaces, and the diamond stitching on the seats recalling the sidewalks of Rio de Janeiro. There are visible details in carbon fibre, black-lacquered metal and prestigious leathers. For the past twenty-five years, midlevel business jets have had overblown, rather suffocating interiors – very comfortable but not very versatile. Sometimes, in an attempt be innovative, manufacturers have veered too far towards the minimal, creating accommodation that became distinctly uncomfortable during long flights. On board the Praetor, however, passengers feel welcomed, and if the option with sofas is chosen even the most heavy-going business meeting can be rendered acceptable – always presuming that passengers don’t decided to stretch out fully and have a nap instead. The base price of the Praetor 500 is around 18 million, while the 600 model goes for almost 22 million. https://executive.embraer.com