At first, there is only the faint whine of an accelerating jet en-gine against golden fields of sugarcane stretching out into the distance. Then, as the sound grows nearer, the sleek, compact shape of Embraer's new Phenom 100 jet appears, breaking ground for only the seventh time at the company's brand-new manufacturing and flight test facilities at Gaviao Peixoto (Pe-show-toe), in the Sao Paulo region of Brazil. The Phenom 100—a four-passenger very light jet (in a configuration that includes a private rear lavatory) with a projected cruise speed of 380 knots, an operating ceiling of 41,000 feet, an IFR range of 1,160 nm and a price of $2.98 million—is Embraer's second entry into the executive aircraft market and the company's first design created specifically for business aviation use. Embraer's Legacy 600, which debuted in 2001, is based on Embraer's ERJ 135 commercial regional jet, and the Lineage 1000, scheduled for its first delivery in mid-2008, is based on Embraer's larger 190 commercial airliner.
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