EMBRAER RESTORES PROTOTYPE OF THE EMB 121 XINGU AIRPLANE
Click here for more news / Clique aqui para mais notícias
First pressurized airplane produced by the Company was certified 30 years ago
São José dos Campos, August 10, 2009 – As
part of the Company’s 40th anniversary
commemorations, Embraer performed a careful
restoration of the EMB 121 Xingu prototype, tail
number PP-ZXI, which was the first pressurized
airplane built by the Company. The restoration
work was carried out by students from the National
Industrial Apprenticeship Service (Serviço Nacional
de Aprendizagem Industrial – SENAI) in São José
dos Campos, Jacareí, and Taubaté, under the
supervision of Embraer personnel. After being
displayed for Company employees, the aircraft will
be on permanent exhibit at the Aerospace Museum
(MUSAL), in Rio de Janeiro.
In 2009, the EMB 121 Xingu, of which 105 were built, celebrates the 30th anniversary of its
certification. This initiative continues the process of restoring Embraer aircraft that began in 2008 with the second prototype of the Bandeirante. The airplane was originally designed and built by the then-Aeronautical Technical Center (Centro Técnico de Aeronáutica – CTA), now the Aerospace Technology General Command, leading to the founding of Embraer, on August 19,
1969. The same work was done on both prototypes of the CBA 123, in 2009.
“It has been a unique opportunity to be able to restore Embraer’s historic aircraft,” explains
Pedro Ferraz, Director of the Embraer Education and Research Institute. “The Xingu PP-ZXI
flew for the first time on October 22, 1976, and is different from the other models that were
manufactured. Following its validation, the cabin of this airplane was lengthened, in order to
accommodate more passengers, and received more powerful engines. However, this version
was never produced in series.”
Coordinated by technical leaders from Embraer, the students from SENAI dedicated themselves
to the project simultaneously to their academic studies. The activities involved instruction,
training, and oversight of the students who acquired knowledge regarding aircraft manufacturing, assembly techniques, and the use of specialized tools. During the restoration process, several parts of the fuselage, cabin, and wings needed to be rebuilt with composite materials.
About the EMB 121 Xingu
The EMB 121 Xingu, named after a Brazilian indigenous tribe and a river in the Amazon, was
developed on the Bandeirante platform. It was designed for the executive transportation market
and had a capacity for up to eight passengers, and was the first pressurized aircraft built in
Brazil. The pressurization allowed the airplane to fly at an altitude of 28,000 feet (8,534
meters), above cloud formations and most atmospheric disturbances, while maintaining an
internal pressure equivalent to 8,000 feet (2,438 meters), thus ensuring passenger comfort.
Although the structure of the airplane was based on that of the Bandeirante, it received more
powerful engines. Another innovation was the Xingu’s T-shaped tail, where the horizontal
stabilizer was placed at the top of the vertical fin. In this way, the wash of the propellers did not
affect the horizontal stabilizer, ensuring a lower vibration and noise level.
The first prototype of the Xingu, tail number PP-ZXI, took its first flight on October 22, 1976,
before it had become pressurized. The official presentation of the aircraft took place at
Embraer, on December 4, that same year. In May 1977, the Xingu successfully flew with the
pressurization system in operation.
The first customer was the Brazilian Air Force (Força Aérea Brasileira – FAB), to serve with
the Special Transportation Group (Grupo de Transporte Especial – GTE), headquartered in
Brasília. The prototype of the Xingu was the first Brazilian-made airplane to cross the
Atlantic, together with a Bandeirante, in the colors of France’s Air Littoral, on May 26, 1977.
The Xingu was certified in 1979, and enjoyed excellent acceptance on the international
market. In France, for example, the aircraft has been used to train pilots, since 1983, and the
French Air Force has decided to extend its operational life to 2025, by modernizing the
electronic systems. This will keep the Xingu aircraft in operation for 42 consecutive years,
which is a rarity in the industry.
