Pilot Report: Embraer Super Tucano

For a journalist, the best part of attending the annual EAA AirVenture extravaganza in Oshkosh, Wis., is that often serendipity reigns, and the result is an entirely unexpected bonus, in this case the opportunity to fly Embraer’s EMB-314 Super Tucano light attack turboprop. Embraer arranged to fly the Super Tucano (Air Force designation A-29) to AirVenture to display it at the company’s booth, alongside its Phenom 100 and 300 business jets, and to highlight the company’s partnership with Sierra Nevada, program manager for the bid on the U.S. Air Force’s 20-airplane Light Air Support contract. The other bidder is Hawker Beechcraft with the AT-6; both airplanes are powered by a 1,600-shp Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-68. The Air Force is expected to announce the winning bidder in January.