Used copies of this midsize jet remain highly capable and are well-priced. Sixteen years ago, Brazilian airframer Embraer announced its intention to jump headfirst into the midsize-cabin corporate jet market with the Legacy 450 and slightly longer-cabin and longer-range Legacy 500 models. The bold move came a mere four […]
Used copies of this midsize jet remain highly capable and are well-priced.
Sixteen years ago, Brazilian airframer Embraer announced its intention to jump headfirst into the midsize-cabin corporate jet market with the Legacy 450 and slightly longer-cabin and longer-range Legacy 500 models. The bold move came a mere four years after the company—which previously had largely limited its ambitions to military and commuter airline aircraft—entered the entry-level/light-jet category with its Phenom series. The Phenom 300 light jet quickly became the bestseller in its class, stoking hopes that the 450 and 500 would repeat this success.
Initially, it was not to be.
There was nothing wrong with the airplanes. They offered thoughtfully appointed and spacious cabins, the latest in glass-panel avionics with the Rockwell Collins Pro Line Fusion system, and fly-by-wire flight controls, the latter a feature that until then had been reserved for jet fighters, some narrowbody airliners, and a small number of large-cabin, long-range business jets. The aircraft, while not the cheapest in their class, delivered spectacular value and followed Embraer’s more-for-less philosophy.
But the 450 and 500 were challenged by the peculiarities of the midsize market, which was dominated by cost-conscious charter and fractional operators and their customers, who were often equally parsimonious, even at the expense of the latest technology and passenger comfort. Not surprisingly, sales of both models started out slow. During their first four years of production, Embraer delivered 59 Legacy 500s and 55 Legacy 450s, according to the General Aviation Manufacturers Association.
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