| EMB 120 Brasilia | |
|---|---|
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| A Gulfstream International Airlines EMB 120 at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport | |
| Role | Regional airliner |
| Manufacturer | Embraer |
| First flight | July 27, 1983 |
| Introduction | October, 1985 |
| Status | Active |
| Primary users | SkyWest Airlines Brazilian Air Force |
| Produced | 1983-2001; built individually as of 2007 |
| Number built | 350 |
The Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia is a twin-turboprop commuter airliner, produced by Embraer of Brazil.
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Design and development
It first flew on 27 July 1983,[1] and entered commercial service in October 1985. Since 1994, manufacture has focused exclusively on the EMB 120ER, with extended range (1,575 km) and increased capacity. It has a 30-passenger capacity.
Operational history
Most of the EMB 120s were sold in the United States and other places in the Western Hemisphere. Some European airlines such as Régional in France, Region Avia Airlines in Russia,DAT in Belgium, and DLT in Germany also purchased EMB-120s. Serial production ended in 2001. As of 2007, it is still available for one-off orders, as it shares much of the production equipment with the ERJ-145 family, which is still produced. The Angolan Air Force, for example, received a new EMB 120 in 2007.[2]
The EMB 120 Brasilia and smaller EMB 110 Bandeirante are Embraer's only turboprop-driven aircraft in its civilian product line. SkyWest Airlines currently operates the largest fleet of EMB 120s under the United Express and Delta Connection brand. Great Lakes Airlines Currently operates 6 EMB 120s in its fleet.
Variants
- EMB 120
- Basic production version.
- EMB 120ER
- Extended range and increased capacity version. All EMB-120ER S/Ns may be converted into the model EMB-120FC or into the model EMB-120QC. [3]
- EMB 120FC
- Full cargo version.
- EMB 120QC
- Quick change cargo version.
- EMB 120RT
- Transport version. All EMB-120RT S/Ns may be converted into the model EMB-120ER. [3]
- VC-97
- VIP transport version for the Brazilian Air Force.
Operators
Civil operators
In October 2008 less than 200 EMB 120 aircraft were in airline service around the world. Major operators include:
- Airnorth (6)
- Skippers Aviation (6)
- Network Aviation (6)
- Regional Pacific Airlines (2)
- Meta Linhas Aéreas (2)
- Puma Air (2)
- Passaredo Transportes Aéreos (6)
- Rico Linhas Aéreas (3)
- Air Minas (4)
- Rollins Air (4)
- Air Moldova (1)
- Swiftair (9)
- Ameriflight (7)
- SkyWest Airlines (56)
- Great Lakes Aviation (6)
Some other 40 smaller companies also operate the aircraft[4]
Military Operators
- Brazilian Air Force 17 in service
Specifications (EMB 120)
Data from Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1988-89 [5]
General characteristics
- Crew: Two pilots and one flight attendant
- Capacity: 30 passengers
- Length: 20.00 m (65 ft 7½ in)
- Wingspan: 19.78 m (64 ft 10¾ in)
- Height: 6.35 m (20 ft 10 in)
- Wing area: 39.4 m² (424 ft²)
- Airfoil: NACA 23018 (modified) at root, NACA 23012 at tip
- Empty weight: 7,070 kg (15,586 lb)
- Max takeoff weight: 11,500 kg (25,353 lb)
- Powerplant: 2× Pratt & Whitney Canada PW118/118A/118B turboprops, 1,340 kW (1,800 shp) each
- Maximum Landing Weight: 11,250 kg (24,802 lb)
- Aspect Ratio: 9.9
Performance
- Maximum speed: 608 km/h (328 knots, 378 mph) at 20,000 ft (6,100 m)
- Cruise speed: 552 km/h (298 knots, 343 mph)
- Stall speed: 162 km/h (87 knots, 100 mph) (CAS),(flaps down)
- Range: 1,750 km (945 nmi, 1,088 mi) (30 passengers, reserves for 100 nmi divert and 45 min hold)
- Service ceiling: 9,085 m (29,800 ft)
- Take-off Run: 1,420 m (4,660 ft) minimum
Avionics
- Collins 5-screen Electronic Flight Instrument System
- Dual autopilots
Accidents
- Atlantic Southeast Airlines Flight 2311, crashed in Brunswick, Georgia on April 5, 1991. The crash claimed the lives of all twenty-three people on board, including former U.S. Senator John Tower of Texas and astronaut Sonny Carter. This was due to propeller control failure.
- Continental Express Flight 2574, broke up in flight on September 11, 1991, killing all of the passengers and crew members. The media stated that initially people speculated that a bomb had destroyed the aircraft; the NTSB discovered that missing screws on the horizontal stabilizer lead to the crash.[6]
- Atlantic Southeast Airlines Flight 529, crashed in a field near Carrollton, Georgia on August 21, 1995. Of the twenty-nine people on board, ten were killed. This was due to failure of a propeller blade and subsequent severe engine vibration and failure.
- Comair Flight 3272 crashed in Michigan on January 9, 1997. All of the passengers and crew died.
See also
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Embraer EMB 120 |
Related development
Comparable aircraft
References
- ^ Taylor 1988, p.12.
- ^ a b Embraer Reports Third-Quarter 2007 Deliveries and Updates Order Book
- ^ a b Federal Aviation Regulations Type Certificate No. A31SO
- ^ Flight International, 3-9 October 2006
- ^ Taylor 1988, pp. 12-13.
- ^ Muck, Patti. "Crash searchers find stabilizer/Discovery points to maintenance mix-up, not bomb." Houston Chronicle. Monday September 16, 1991. A1. Retrieved on August 23, 2009.
- Taylor, John W.R. Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1988-89. Coulsdon, UK:Jane's Information Group, 1988. ISBN 0 7106-0867-5.
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