In 1964, the Ministry of Aeronautics ordered a CTA study on the feasibility of setting up a medium-sized passenger aircraft production line in Brazil. The following year, the document approving the basic IPD-6504 project, the future Bandeirante, was signed.

The first prototype was built in three years and four months, taking 110,000 man-hours. Around 300 people, led by Col. Ozires Silva, dedicated themselves to the project. This prototype, under the command of Major Mariotto Ferreira and Engineer Michel Cury, made the first flight demonstration on October 22, 1968, taking off from the airport of São José dos Campos.

On August 19, 1969, Embraer was set up, initially just for the serial manufacture of the Bandeirante aircraft. The same year, the Ministry of Aeronautics signed a contract for the production in series of 80 Bandeirantes. On October 19, the second Bandeirante prototype, still under the responsibility of the CTA, made its inaugural flight.

Embraer began operating on January 2, 1970, and while the first Bandeirante, the EMB 100, was gaining flight experience, the design team was making changes and the required adjustments for producing a third prototype. Despite the Bandeirante’s good performance, it was found that market conditions had changed since the project’s inception, so the eight seats the plane provided would no longer suffice. Embraer’s design team decided to start over with the project, and so the EMB-110 Bandeirante came to be. It was bigger, with 12 seats in the military version, and it had some additional technical advances when compared with the first prototypes.

Serial production began in 1971, and in the same year, the aircraft was certified by the CTA. On August 9, 1972, the first serially produced Bandeirante took off. Ten days later there was a ceremony at Embraer for the public introduction of the serial Bandeirante, and on December 20, the model received CTA’s official approval certificate.

On February 9, 1973, the first delivery of the EMB 110 Bandeirante was made to FAB. During the ceremony, one of FAB’s aircraft flew with President Medici on board.

On April 11 of that year, the first Bandeirante was delivered to a commercial aviation company, Transbrasil, whose order had been made just three months earlier. The first commercial flight of the Bandeirante took place on April 16, 1973, operating in cities in the south of the country.

The airplane was well accepted by the public and the airlines. It was light and a great value for the money, meeting the demands of the regional air market. It also responded very positively to the first oil crisis in 1973, when there was a highly significant increase in fuel prices, which made jet operations very costly. And so the Bandeirante, much more economical than its competitors, became more competitive.

In 1975, Embraer exported the first Bandeirante airplanes: two of them were sold to the Uruguayan Air Force. Two years later, export of the Bandeirante for commercial airlines began—the first foreign airline to operate a Bandeirante was the French company Air Littoral. Before being delivered, the aircraft was exhibited, along with a Xingu prototype, at the most important event in global aviation, the Paris Air Show in France, in which Embraer participated for the first time.

On May 26, 1977, airplanes manufactured nationally crossed the Atlantic for the first time when the Bandeirante EMB 110P2, flying the colors of Air Littoral, along with the Xingu prototype, took off from São José dos Campos to Paris. The airplanes made a technical refueling stopover in Fernando de Noronha, and the following day took off for Dakar, then flew on to Seville, and finally headed to Paris. The Bandeirante, piloted by commanders Gualda and Martins da Rosa, completed the trip in exactly seven hours and four minutes. On June 12, 1977, the aircraft went on a presentation tour in Europe. On August 30, the airplanes returned to France, and the Bandeirante was officially delivered to Air Littoral.

In order to increase the exportation of the Bandeirante, Embraer started to seek certification from international organizations. On December 21, 1977, the Bandeirante received certification from France’sDGAC(General Management of Civil Aviation). On August 15, 1978, the Bandeirante received certification issued by the UK’s CAA (Civil Aviation Authority).

After winning official approval from several countries, the company sought official approval from the United States FAA (Federal Aviation Administration); nonetheless, until the end of the 1970s, the use of small aircraft on regional routes was not allowed in the United States. After several agreements, in May 1978 the FAA lowered the requirements for the operation of smaller aircraft. With that, Embraer just needed to find a buyer in order to start the process of official approval, which occurred on June 21, 1978, when Robert Terry, president of Aero Industries, closed a deal for the purchase of three Bandeirantes, which would be used by Aero Commuter, a subsidiary of the company. Thus, on August 18, 1978, three days after the official approval in England, the Bandeirante EMB-110P1 was officially approved by the FAA in the United States.

From that moment on, the Bandeirante started to be exported to various countries. The Bandeirante’s great sales success abroad was one of the factors that led Embraer to set up a subsidiary in United States, Embraer Aircraft Corporation (EAC), in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in 1979. In addition to supplying spare parts, the EAC was meant to broaden Embraer’s North American market share and provide technical assistance and training to the pilots of several commuter companies flying between small cities.

Later on, a study with the airline companies demonstrated the need to implement improvements in the aircraft, such as internal space enlargement, cabin noise reduction, higher turbine power and more modern avionics as well as installation of a crew door. These alterations led to the P1 18-passenger models and the P2 for passengers and cargo (with a wide door), which were soon granted official approval by the United States FAA; other countries’ aviation authorities quickly followed suit. Soon, the Bandeirante was operating in the most varied conditions, facing temperatures ranging from -30°C to +40°C (-22ºF to +104ºF).

The Bandeirante’s production line was shut down at the end of 1991. The last aircraft to be ordered, SN 498, was delivered to the Amazon Government in 1995. All told, 498 airplanes were manufactured, 253 of them for Brazil and 245 for operators abroad. Approximately 320 of these aircraft are still flying today.

Versions

EMB-100—Pre-series model of the IPD/PAR 6504 CTA project, equipped with 550HP Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-20 turboprop engine, with capacity for eight passengers. Three aircraft were built. Maiden flight: October 26, 1968.

EMB-110—Initial production of 12-seat military transport model, equipped with 680HP Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-27 engines on redesigned nacelles, which fully housed the landing gear.

EMB-111A—Known as "Bandeirulha," the version has navigation aid calibration with capacity for up to six passengers/operators.

EMB-110B—Military aerial photography version equipped with Zeiss cameras, with capacity for up to five passengers/operators.

EMB-110B1—Special version of the EMB-110B with the alternative for rapid conversion for the transport of up to 14 passengers. Two units built, one for the Uruguayan Air Force and another for civil aviation.

EMB-110BI—Special executive version for carrying out aerial photography missions, with a nine-passenger capacity.

EMB-110C—Civil transport version with 12, 15 or 16 seats, specially developed to meet the needs of regional air transport. Five units were provided to the Uruguayan Air Force.

EMB-110C (N)—Special version of the EMB-110C with anti-freeze device, provided to the Chilean Navy.

EMB-110E—Executive transport version of the EMB-110C with six or eight seats, reclining chairs, folding tables, stereo sound system, air conditioning and full on-board service.

EMB-110E (J)—Version of the EMB-110E with special equipment.

EMB-110K1—Military transport version with capacity for 1,650 kg (3,637 lb). Equipped with 750HP Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-34 engines, ventral drift angle, 14.60 m (47.90 ft) fuselage length, rear cargo door and an extra door for passengers and crew. Delivery started in May 1977. It is designated as C-95A by the Brazilian Air Force.

EMB-110P—Civil transport version of the EMB-110K1 with 18 seats, equipped with Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-27 or PT6A-34 engines. Maiden flight: January 1976.

EMB-110P1—Fast-conversion passenger/cargo model of the EMB-110P.

EMB-110P2—Fast-conversion passenger/cargo model of the EMB-110P, with up to 21 seats, no loading door and 5,670 kg (12,500 lb) maximum weight.

EMB-110P1 (K)—Fast-conversion passenger/cargo version of the EMB-110K1 with similar payload. Designated as C-95B by the Brazilian Air Force.

EMB-110P1SAR—SAR version of the EMB-110P1 (K) with accommodations for six stretchers and 6,000 kg (13,227 lb) maximum weight. Designated as SC-95B by the Brazilian Air Force.

EMB-110P1A—Civilian version, with the sub-variants EMB-110P2A, 110P1A/41 and 110P2A/41 like the P1, but with dihedral of the 10º horizontal stabilizers, better sound insulation and other changes. Delivery started in December, 1983. Designated as C-95C by the Brazilian Air Force.

EMB-11OS1—Geophysical research version meant to carry out remote-sensing operations, based on the EMB-110C but with greater volume in the tank’s internal wing, magnetometer tail shaft, two equipment operators and 750HP Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-34 engines.

Product Name	Bandeirante
Embraer Code	EMB 110
Market niche	Commercial Aviation
Start of the Project	June 25, 1965—for the EMB 100 prototype
Maiden flight	August 16, 1968
Certifications	CTA- 1971 FAA – August 18, 1978
First Delivery	Commercial aviation—Transbrasil—April 11, 1973
Other clients	Air Littoral (France), 1977—first export
End of production	1991

DIMENSIONS
Length	12,74 m	41,8 ft
Height	5,17 m	16,9 ft
Span	15,42 m	50,6 ft
PERFORMANCE
Maximum cruise speed	425 km/h	230 kt
Range	1.450 km	785 nm
Take off distance (maximum weight, SL, ISA)	375 m	1,230 ft
Landing Field Length (SL, ISA)	430 m	1,410ft
Powerplant	Pratt & Whitney PT6A-20 com 579 hp	Pratt & Whitney PT6A-27 with 579 hp