EMBRAER HISTORY BRASÍLIA Brasilia officially became Brazil´s capital on April, 1960. Four years before, it didn´t even exist. At that time, President Juscelino Kubitschek commissioned Lucio Costa (urban planner), Oscar Niemeyer (architect) and Burle Marx (landscape architect) to build a new city from scratch. Brasília was chosen as a UNESCO World Heritage Site because it is one of the major examples of the 20th century´s modern movement in architecture and urban planning. Lucio Costa drew the Plano Piloto, in which Brasilia is shaped like an airplane (or a bird). The city’s design divides it into numbered blocks as well as sectors for specified activities, such as the Hotel Sector, the Banking Sector and the Embassy Sector. CONTEMPORARY DESIGN OSCAR NIEMEYER Oscar Niemeyer was born on December 15, 1907, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Niemeyer landed his first major project in 1941, planning buildings for the Pampulha Architectural Complex. His designs were noted for their free-flowing forms. Other projects included working on the United Nations building, and designing the Contemporary Art Museum in Niterói. In 1956, Juscelino Kubitschek, the president of Brazil and a close friend of Niemeyer, came to the architect with a proposal, asking Niemeyer to become the new chief architect of public buildings in the country’s new capital, Brasilia, a Modernist civic metropolis being built from scratch in the interior of the country. Niemeyer designed several buildings in Brasilia, including the presidential palace, the Brasília Palace Hotel, the Ministry of Justice building, the presidential chapel and the cathedral. After the inauguration of the new capital city in 1960, Niemeyer resigned from his position as the government’s chief architect and returned to private practice. “I am not attracted to straight angles or to the straight line, hard and inflexible, created by man. I am attracted to free-flowing, sensual curves. The curves that I find in the mountains of my country, in the sinuousness of its rivers, in the waves of the ocean, and on the body of the beloved woman. Curves make up the entire Universe, the curved Universe of Einstein.” — Oscar Niemeyer BRAZIL’S AVIATION DNA ALBERTO SANTOS-DUMONT WAS A BRAZILIAN AVIATION PIONEER. The heir of a wealthy family of coffee producers, Santos Dumont dedicated himself to aeronautical study and experimentation in Paris, France, where he spent most of his adult life. Santos-Dumont designed, built, and flew the first practical dirigible, demonstrating that routine, controlled flight was possible. This “conquest of the air”, in particular his winning the Deutsch de la Meurthe prize on 19 October 1901 on a flight that rounded the Eiffel Tower, made him one of the most famous people in the world during the early 20th century. Following his pioneering work in airships, Santos-Dumont constructed a heavier-than-air aircraft, the 14-bis. On 23 October 1906 he flew this to make the first heavier-than-air flight to be certified by the Aéro Club de France and the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI). In his homeland, Brazil, Santos-Dumont is a national hero, having his name written in Brazilian Hero Panthéon. He is credited in Brazil as the father of aviation. 601964’ - STUDIESs FOR A MEDIUM-SIZED BRAZILIAN AIRCRAFT Until the mid 1960s the Brazilian production of aircraft was limited to small aircraft, mainly for military use. The Aeronautics Ministry therefore commissioned a study to the Aeronautics Technical Center (CTA) on the feasibility of producing a series of midsize passenger aircraft in Brazil. 1968 - CONSTRUCTION OF THE BANDEIRANTE PROTOTYPE The first Bandeirante prototype was developed over the course of three years and four months. The twin-engine, turboprop aircraft, capable of carrying about 20 passengers, was designed to operate under the conditions prevailing in most Brazilian cities. OCTOBER 27, 1968 - THE BANDEIRANTE PROTOTYPE MAKES ITS FIRST FLIGHT Five days after its initial test flight, the Bandeirante prototype (Serial No. IPD 6504) performed its maiden flight demonstration to Brazilian authorities. AUGUST 19, 1969 - BIRTH OF EMBRAER After several meetings with Ministers of State, under the leadership of the Aeronautics Ministry, the President, Arthur da Costa e Silva, signed the decree No. 770, creating Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica SA, Embraer. Intended for serial production of the Bandeirante aircraft, the first board was chaired by Col. Ozires Silva. The original plan envisaged the construction of a hangar capable of producing two Bandeirante aircraft per month, with just over 500 employees. The first order was placed in 1969: the Aeronautics Ministry signed a contract for the purchase of 80 Bandeirante aircraft. 70’s JANUARY 2, 1970 - EMBRAER BEGINS OPERATION The inauguration of the first board of Embraer marked the beginning of the Company’s operations. The construction of the buildings was started in an area adjacent to the campus of the Aeronautics Technical Center (CTA), in São José dos Campos (SP). The first installations and hangars were erected next to the airstrip, where the city’s airport now stands. SEPTEMBER 7, 1971 - FIRST FLIGHT & FIRST DELIVERY OF XAVANTE The EMB 326 Xavante GB, a single-engine multipurpose aircraft designed by the Italian company Aermacchi, was assembled under license by Embraer in Brazil. It made its first official flight on September 7, 1971. The next day, the Brazilian Air Force (FAB) received the first four airplanes of their initial 112 unit order. The aircraft, which received the military designation OT, headed to Santa Cruz AFB in Rio de Janeiro (RJ). AUGUST 7, 1975 - FIRST EXPORTS OF EMBRAER Uruguayan authorities signed the purchase of 15 aircraft produced by Embraer. Five EMB 110 Bandeirante Air Force aircraft were planned to be used in Uruguay for military purposes. Meanwhile, ten EMB 200 Ipanema aircraft—whose prototype had made its first flight five years earlier—were slated for agricultural use. OCTOBER 7, 1979 - EMBRAER AIRCRAFT COMPANY (EAC) In 1979 a group of representatives from Embraer visited the United States with the hope of opening the first Embraer office in the southern state of Florida. The need for adequate technical support in North America was identified after the FAA certification of the Bandeirante in the previous year. Embraer Aircraft Company (EAC), a subsidiary of Embraer, was first installed in the city of Dania but found its permanent home in Fort Lauderdale in 1981. 80’s MAY 01, 1983 - EMBRAER IN EUROPE Embraer established Embraer Aviation International (EAI), headquartered in Paris, France, in order to concentrate sales activities on European territory, and provide adequate technical support to new customers in Europe, Middle East and Africa. MAY 16, 1985 - THE CTA AND FAA CERTIFY THE BRASILIA Between May 16 and July 9, the EMB 120 Brasilia received type certification from the Aerospace Technical Center (CTA), the Department of Aerospace Science and Technology (DCTA), the Brazilian agency, and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The 30-passenger regional aircraft was a new generation, high performance turboprop, whose first test flight had occurred on July 25, 1983. MAY 01, 1987 - 100TH BRASILIA The Brasilia program achieved another milestone when Air Midwest, the largest U.S. regional airline at the time, based in Wichita, Kansas, signed the purchase order for five units of EMB 120 Brasilia. This order helped Embraer to achieve a goal of 100 firm orders, with 100 additional units under option. 1989 - EMBRAER BEGINS THE EMB 145 PROJECT Given the demand for larger aircraft and technological advancement, Embraer began developing the EMB 145 (currently named ERJ 145), a 50-passenger aircraft that would be the first jet aircraft produced by the Company. The project was officially announced during the Salon Aeronautique Le Bourget. The EMB 145 was eventually complemented by Embraer’s regional jet family, the EMB 135 (37 seats) and the EMB 140 (44 seats). 90’s DECEMBER 07, 1994 - PRIVATIZATION OF EMBRAER Embraer was privatized and financial institutions Cia. Bozano Simonsen and Wasserstein Perella acquired the majority stake of the company, along with pension funds Previ and SISTEL. In April 1996, Wasserstein Perella decided to terminate its presence in the corporate structure of Embraer and its stake was purchased by Grupo Bozano. 1995 - ALX PROGRAM The Brazilian Air Force (FAB) contracted Embraer in 1978 to develop an advanced training aircraft, intended to bridge the gap between basic training and combat jets. The EMB 312 Tucano turboprop emerged as a result. In 1995, FAB requested an armed version of the EMB 312, planned for use in training missions, border patrol and counter insurgency. This new generation of Tucano aircraft was initially called the ALX. The contract called for the delivery of 99 total aircraft. In 1996 the ALX was officially renamed EMB 314 Super Tucano. The Super Tucano made its first flight in June of 1999. DECEMBER 27, 1996 - EMB 145 FIRST DELIVERY After receiving type certification from multiple agencies less than one month prior, the first delivery of the EMB 145 was made to United States airline Continental Express. In May of the following year, the regional jet was certified by the Joint Aviation Authorities (JAA), which is now known as the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). 1997 - EMBRAER REGIONAL JETS Embraer changed the name of its regional jets, EMB 145 and EMB 135, to Embraer Regional Jet 145 (ERJ 145) and Embraer Regional Jet 135 (ERJ 135), respectively. The ERJ 135, a 37-passenger jet built on the ERJ 145, was publicly presented on May 12, 1998 and made its first flight on July 4 of the same year. 1999 AUGUST - LAUNCH OF THE EMBRAER 170/190 The Embraer 170/190 jets represented a new cycle in the history of the company as it added larger aircraft to its repertoire. The E-Jet family was comprised of four models: E-170, E-175, E-190 and E-195, with capacities ranging from 70 to 118 seats.