Melbourne, FL, May 15, 2013 – In a ceremony at Embraer Executive Jets’ Melbourne Campus, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) presented Embraer a Production Certificate to assemble Phenom 300s in the United States. Previously, Phenom 300 jets assembled in Melbourne have been certified under the FAA type certificate granted to those produced in Brazil.
The Company marked the certification with a luncheon celebration on May 15 when local dignitaries and FAA joined employees for the presentation of the certificate.
“It has been less than a year since our Melbourne assembly facility received its first production certification from the Federal Aviation Administration for the Phenom 100,” said Ernest Edwards, President, Embraer Executive Jets. “Now we have our second certificate covering the Phenom 300, a significant milestone for Embraer Executive Jets. This facility is a little over two years old and it illustrates the hard work and dedication of our employees.”
The Phenom 300 joined the assembly line in September with the first made-in-the-USA Phenom 300 delivered to Embraer Executive Jets Flight Department in January. It is now being used as a demonstrator. The first delivery to a customer occurred in March.
Recently, Embraer Executive Jets delivered to world leading private jet operator NetJets the first of a potential 125 highly customized Signature SeriesTM Phenom 300 aircraft. Production of the NetJets’ Signature SeriesTM Phenom 300 will be moved to Embraer Executive Jets’ Melbourne, FL, assembly facility in 2014.
The presentation of the Phenom 300 production certification follows the work of a dedicated team of professionals both at Embraer Executive Jets and the FAA at both its FAA Manufacturing Inspection District Office (MIDO) office in Orlando and its Small Aircraft Directorate in Kansas City that inspects and certifies aircraft companies to manufacture products under an FAA-approved type design.
“We are proud of this new certification since it shows what can be done in such a short time since the Phenon 300 joined the assembly line in September,” said Phil Krull, Managing Director, Melbourne Production.  “When we arrived on the scene in Melbourne, we promised to hire 200 employees and we are now well over that number with many coming from the Kennedy Space Center. Our employees successfully validated the ‘paperless’ production process, allowing a leaner, more efficient operation and enabling the Phenom 300 to be produced on the same line as the Phenom 100.”
The Production Certificate is an approval under 14 Code of Federal Regulation (CFR) Part 21 and managed by the Small Aircraft Directorate. The Embraer and FAA teams worked on quality manuals, procedures and product audits, as well as, internal and external supplier visits to ensure all facets of production met the highest quality and safety standards.