Embraer cut the first metal for its Phenom 100 Jet last Wednesday. The first part manufactured will be assembled onto the first Phenom 100 pre-series aircraft. The event took place at the company's main plant in Sao Jos頤os Campos, Brazil. The Phenom 100 program is steadily advancing toward deliveries beginning in mid-2008.

Eclipse 500 reached 2,000 flight hours of testing as six customer aircraft move down the production line. The aircraft is scheduled for certification this month, becoming the first VLJ on the market. The first forward fuselage was mated to the aft fuselage during Memorial Day weekend.

Adam Aircraft and Jet Support Services, Inc (JSSI) introduced the Tip-to-Tail hourly maintenance cost guarantee programs developed exclusively for the new Adam A500 twin-engine piston and A700 AdamJet Aircraft. The companies said it was the first hourly maintenance program to include complete airframe and engine coverage for a twin- engine piston aircraft. Operators can choose three- to five-year terms when they purchase an aircraft, which, at a fixed cost, will stabilize the direct operating cost and ensure a high rate of dispatch reliability. It also features a computerized maintenance tracking program that will augment the maintainability and reliability analysis of the fleet and afford better planning for support. For a list of what the programs cover go to http://www.aviationtoday.com.