Embraer's Legacy 450 Sets Speed Record

An Embraer Legacy 450 operated by Canadian fractional provider AirSprint recently set speed records on round-trip flights from California to Hawaii late last year, the company announced recently. The Hawaii trip was not only a first for the aircraft, but also for the passengers.

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The customer demonstration trip left Oakland International Airport on December 5 with two pilots, four passengers, and 300 pounds of baggage for Maui Kahului Airport. According to Embraer, the flight lasted five hours, 14 minutes and covered 2,428 miles, making it the fly-by-wire twinjet's longest flight to date. The National Aeronautic Association (NAA) recorded the aircraft’s average speed at 449.91 mph (NAA uses statute miles).

The Legacy then left Hawaii the following day for San Francisco International Airport with three passengers and the same amount of baggage. This flight lasted four hours, 27 minutes and covered 2,379 miles. Thanks to average tailwinds of 24 knots, the average speed was 525.89 mph.