On December 23, Embraer rolled out the first midsize Legacy 500 from the production hangar at the company’s São José dos Campos, Brazil headquarters. “This is a significant day for the Legacy 500 program,” said Embraer Executive Jets vice president of programs Maurício Almeida. “Releasing the aircraft from production to the test team will allow us to gather vital information during ground tests, which will be used to shorten the flight-test campaign.” The Legacy 500 is scheduled to fly in the third quarter. Embraer expects the jet, which boasts a 3,000-nautical-mile range, to be certified in Brazil late next year, with approvals from other aviation authorities to follow. We had a full report on the Legacy 500 in the December 2011/January 2012 issue of BJT.