November 27, 2012 First Flight For Legacy 500

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By Mary Grady, Contributing editor

Embraer flew its all-new midsize Legacy 500 jet for the first time on Tuesday, for an hour and 45 minutes. It's the first jet in its class to use a fly-by-wire control system, according to Embraer. It also features a large cabin for up to 12 passengers with six feet of headroom. Two Honeywell HTF 7500E engines drive the jet at up to Mach .82 for 3,000 miles. The flight was "flawless," the company said. First deliveries are expected in 2014.

The cockpit also features sidestick controllers and Rockwell Collins Pro Line Fusion avionics with synthetic vision. The jet is aimed to fill the gap between the light Phenom models and the big-cabin 600 and 650. The company has two other prototypes in the works for the flight-test program.