Page 48 - Volume 15 Number 8

The first U.S.-assembled Phenom 100 is now being built at Embraer’s new Melbourne, Fla. assembly plant. The first fuselage and wing parts arrived in June, and the aircraft is expected to be ready for delivery by the end of 2011.
“The arrival of parts into the brand new 80,000 square feet assembly facility for the Phenom 100 was a meaningful moment for our employees in Melbourne,” said Ernest Edwards, president, Embraer Executive Jets. “It is a milestone that reiterates our commitment to our U.S. presence and to our customers worldwide. It also substantiates the success of this innovative product as we all look forward to start deliveries of the first made- in-America units.”
The company also said that it has 69 qualified engineers and other technicians working on the Phenom 100 assembly line. A total of 200 employees are expected
46 • TWIN & TURBINE
to be working at the plant by yearend.
A second construction phase for the company’s Customer Center is well under way and should be completed by end of October 2011. This high-end facility will offer customers a showroom in which they will find a vast collection of fini•shing materials samples as well as visualization technology that will help them design their aircraft interiors. T&T
EN ROUTE
First U.S.-Built Phenom 100 Underway
AUGUST 2011
pants, aircraft controls and your shoes for that matter. I’ve heard of it being discovered in belly buttons, like lint.
I’ve tried spreading a large cloth napkin, plastic checklists, aircraft maintenance logbooks, and even unfolding a newspaper and spreading it from my neck to my knees. When finished, there was powdered sugar on my pants every time. And if you’ve noticed my bio at the end of the story, I have a mustache. Talk about a cookie duster. I suppose I could claim the grey in my mustache is actually powered sugar right?
I don’t know, maybe the untidiness is caused by some kind of New Orleans beignet-Voodoo or something. More likely though, it’s the heavenly trance created by the consumption of the beignet. The spell causes total lack of control over the eating process and of the flying powdered sugar. And I’ve heard they are delicious.
The Sense God Gave a Turnip
By the way, I tried the powdered- sugar-separate technique. It failed,
too. Well then Captain, eat them without the powdered sugar, you’re thinking? Oh grasshopper. As they say in the South: “You’d prolly microwave yur collards, too! Durn Yankee. You ain’t got the sense God gave a turnip.” Ouch.
So when you go to New Orleans you should try some beignets... with the powdered sugar. If you fly single-pilot, I don’t recommend taking them in the cockpit though, and having someone else feed them to you is of no help either. If they’re within reach, you will eat them. If you eat them, you will make a mess ... everywhere. The mess will be large and you will try to clean it up. Good luck doing that while shooting the night-IMC-NDB approach. The accident investigation team will call out the HAZMAT people because of the “strange unidentified white powder” all over you and the cabin, and the medical examiner will be befuddled when they find your finger in your belly button and that big smile on your face.
Enjoy the treat my friends, and good luck fellow Yankees.
P.S. Did I mention they’re low c a l o r i e ? G•o o d , b e c a u s e t h e y ’ r e n o t .
Appreciative nod to Def Leppard! T&T
Kevin Dingman has been flying for 38 years. He’s an ATP typed in the B737 and DC9 with 17,000 hours. A retired Air Force Major; he flew the F-16 then performed as a USAF Civil Air Patrol Liai- son Officer. He flies volunteer missions for the Christian orga- nization Wings Of Mercy, is em- ployed by a major airline, and owns and operates a Beechcraft Duke. Contact Kevin at Ding- er10d@gmail.com.