The EMB 721 Sertanejo was the Brazilian name of the Piper Cherokee Lance, and it was produced by Embraer under license from U.S. manufacturer. It was an updated version of the Cherokee Six (EMB 720 Minuano), and was rolled-out in Brazil in 1976, one year after the Company put the first five models of its partnership with Piper (EMB 820 Navajo, EMB 810 Seneca, EMB 720 Minuano, EMB 710 Carioca, and EMB 711 Corisco) on the market.

A low-wing plane with an aluminum frame, the single-engine EMB 721 Sertanejo could reach a speed of 290 km/h with its 300-HP Lycoming engine, and was also equipped with a three-axis autopilot.

Its broad cabin could carry six or seven people or be adapted as an executive transportation plane. Its seats could also be removed, and the internal space used to transport up to 700 kg of cargo. There was another item of comfort: the plane's front trunk worked as an insulator against engine noise.

A total of 208 units were sold.

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:	Sertanejo
Embraer Code:	EMB 721
Market niche:	Light Aviation
Launch:	1976
First sale:	1976
Production termination:	1985

DIMENSIONS
Length	8.44 m	27.69 ft
Height	2.74 m	8.98ft
Wingspan	10 m	32.80 ft
PERFORMANCE
Top cruise speed	287 km/h	155 kt
Range	1876 km	1013 nm
Takeoff distance (top weight, sea level, ISA)	518 m	1700 ft
Landing distance (sea level, ISA)	192 m	630 ft
Powerplant	1 300-HP Lycoming Engine