The Minuano was fitted with a direct fuel injection 300-HP Lycoming engine, it could fly at up to 270 km/h and was equipped with a sophisticated electronic communications and radio navigation system. In addition to space to accommodate up to six passengers, the Minuano had a lot of trunk space in its rear door and nose.

Designed to operate in regions where airfields were short or unpaved, a survey published in 1984 showed that Minuano owners made the most use of the aircraft on flights between the city and the farm. In 1986, the PT-RNR Minuano was used by six French pilots from the École Nationale Supérieure de L’Aeronautique et de I'Espace on a trip from North to South of Brazil, in which they covered 1000 kilometers in 51 hours of flight over a 13-day period. The French team's trip was turned into a thesis about the importance of small aircraft aviation as an element of integration in a large country.

It was in Itaituba, a town located 890 kilometers away from Belém, in the main mining region in the State of Pará, that the Minuano reached its greatest success. Affectionately called the "Cherocão" (something like the "Big Cherokee"), its main activities included transporting gold, cargo, and even passengers. The Minuano was, by far, the most widely used plane among those operating in the city, having made 1324 flights in March 1986 (23.73% of total).

A total of 293 Minuano aircraft were sold between 1975 and 1996.

Embraer Piper Partnership

With only five years of existence, Embraer was already considered a solid company in 1974. With 3,000 employees, it had three successful aircraft on the market: the Bandeirante, for civil aviation; the Xavante, for military purposes; and the Ipanema, designed for agricultural use. But there were other markets to be won: in 1973, Brazil ranked first in the Southern Hemisphere among the importers of light, small single-engine or twin-engine aircraft with up to ten seats, which at the time were in great demand by Brazilian companies for executive travel, especially those manufactured by U.S. outfit Piper Aircraft Corporation. It was predicted that by 1978, the Brazilian market would absorb about 3,000 light aircraft. It would take three to five years for Embraer to develop similar aircraft, taking into account the studies required to conceive, design, and manufacture them, etc., which required resources that were not available. To get around the issue, Embraer entered into negotiations with Piper to produce some of their aircraft under license in Brazil.

During the celebrations of Embraer's fifth anniversary, the company signed a cooperation agreement with Piper to develop, produce, and market their light aircraft. Shortly after the agreement was made formal, the Brazilian government raised the import taxes for foreign light airplanes from 7% to 50%.

Initially, Embraer would manufacture only two aircraft, the twin-engine EMB 820 Navajo (Piper Navajo Chifetais) and the EMB 810 Seneca (Piper Seneca III). However, as early as 1974, the manufacturing of the single-engine EMB 720 Minuano (Cherokee Six) was also incorporated into Embraer's production line. That same year, the Company hired Neiva to produce the EMB 710 Carioca (Cherokee 235 Pathfinder) and EMB 711 Corisco (Cherokee Arrow II), all of Piper.

The five aircraft were presented officially on June 17, 1975, and during the event an EMB 710 Brazilian Carioca was raffled among air clubs, aimed at honoring these groups' activities. The winner was the Bragança Paulista Air Club. From 1976 to 1984, three more light aircraft were rolled-out: Tupi (Piper Archer II), Sertanejo (Cherokee Lance), and Carajá, the latter being an updated version of the Navajo, for a total of eight light aircraft.

In 1978, Embraer went on to produce the planes locally, with parts and components made in Brazil, except for a few items, and, in 1984, the entire light aircraft production line was transferred to Neiva, in Botucatu, State of São Paulo.

Light aircraft production went beyond expectations, since a total of 2326 Piper aircraft were delivered between 1975 and 2000.

Project name:	Minuano
Embraer Code:	EMB 720
Market niche:	Light Aviation
Project Commencement:	1974
Launch:	June 17 1975
First sale:	1975
Production termination:	1996

DIMENSIONS
Length	8.44 m	27.69 ft
Height	2.49 m	8.16 ft
Wingspan	9.97 m	32.70 ft
PERFORMANCE
Top cruise speed	268 km/h	145 kt
Range	1287 km	695 nm
Takeoff distance (top weight, sea level, ISA)	381 m	1250 ft
Landing distance (sea level, ISA)	170 m	560 ft
Powerplant	1 300-HP Lycoming Engine