The high-stakes race to bring a very light jet (VLJ) to market saw another entrant Thursday when Brazilian manufacturer Embraer took its Phenom 100 entry for its first flight. Test pilots Capt. Antonio Bragança Silva and Capt. Eduardo Alves Menini, along with flight-test engineer Marcelo Toledo Basile, crewed the flight from the company’s manufacturing facility in São José dos Campos.

The company said the Phenom 100’s first flight was preceded by several weeks of ground tests involving ground vibration, flight control, low- and high-speed taxiing, and systems functionality and integration. A full test program, including static and fatigue tests, will follow the type’s maiden flight. Embraer said it plans to obtain Brazil’s National Civil Aviation Agency certification, followed quickly by approvals from the FAA and Europe’s EASA.

The Phenom 100 was launched in May 2005 as a best-in-class executive jet in the VLJ category. The first metal cut of the Phenom 100 took place in May 2006, using a digital mock-up. Two Pratt & Whitney Canada PW617F engines, each with 1,615 pounds of thrust, power the new jet. Its range with four occupants will be 1,160 nm, according to the company, and the Phenom 100’s maximum altitude will be 41,000 feet. Embraer plans to deliver the first Phenom 100 to a customer in mid-2008.