Embraer E-Jet Family and Flight Deck

The Embraer E-Jets are a family of twin-engined jet airliners in two generations. The first, known as the E1, comprises the E170 and E175, certified as the ERJ 170-100 and ERJ 170-200, and the larger E190 and E195, certified as the ERJ 190-100 and ERJ 190-200. The second generation, the E-Jets E2, adds the E190-E2 and E195-E2, certified as the ERJ 190-300 and ERJ 190-400 on the same EASA data sheet as the first-generation E190 and E195.

For pilots the family has one defining property. EASA treats the ERJ 170 and ERJ 190 series as variants of the same type and gives the E190-E2 the licence endorsement EMB170, listing no separate E190 or E2 rating. A pilot moving between models therefore completes differences training rather than a new type rating course (see class and type ratings), and Transport Canada's operational evaluation report sets out the E190 to E190-E2 differences in tables and a differences syllabus.

Much of the published operating detail concerns the E190 and the E190-E2, so this article names the model each figure applies to. The systems have their own articles: electrical, hydraulic, fuel, flight controls, landing gear, brakes and steering, ice and rain protection, air conditioning and pressurisation and fire protection and oxygen, with the engines in E-Jet engines and APU.

The E-Jet family

The first-generation engines are General Electric CF34 turbofans; the E2 has Pratt & Whitney PW1900G geared turbofans. The passenger figures are the certified maximum seating of the EASA data sheets, and airline cabin layouts can have fewer seats. On the E2 models the maximum needs three cabin crew: with two, the limit is 100 passengers.

Two naming points catch candidates out. There is no ERJ 195: the E195 and the E195-E2 are models of the ERJ 190, the ERJ 190-200 and ERJ 190-400, and the data sheet notes that the latter is marketed as the Embraer 195-E2. The ICAO type designators of the ERJ 190 models are E190 and E195 for the first generation and E290 and E295 for the E2.

Every model section of both data sheets gives the same maximum operating altitude, 41,000 ft (12,497 m) pressure altitude. Certified masses depend on the version, designated STD, LR or IGW on the first generation, and on service bulletins. The basic maximum take-off mass of the E175 LR is 38,790 kg, or 40,370 kg after a service bulletin; the E190 LR's is 50,300 kg and the E190 IGW's 51,800 kg. For the E190-E2 the data sheet lists take-off masses from 49,990 kg to 56,400 kg, each tied to a service bulletin, but a single maximum landing mass of 49,050 kg.

Main differences between models

The first-generation E190 and E195 have the same wing span and area, and the E195 is longer. The E2 brought a larger wing to both models. For the ERJ 190 models the data sheet and the operating manual give:

The data sheet describes, for the ERJ 190-100, an aluminium-alloy fuselage, wing, tailplane and fin, with ailerons, flaps, spoilers, elevator and rudder of composite material. The E190 has two passenger doors on the left and two service doors on the right, four Type I exits, each with a vent flap and an escape slide; on the first-generation E190 a vent flap that is not closed prevents pressurisation above 0.5 psi. For the E190-E2 the data sheet also lists the two cockpit side windows as flight crew emergency exits.

Other differences are less visible. The E190-E2's aft cargo compartment is the larger, 11.45 m³ against 10.09 m³ forward, whereas the E190 has 12.5 m³ forward and 10.1 m³ aft. For all-weather operations the data sheet credits the E190 with Cat II, Cat IIIa autoland without rollout guidance and a head-up guidance system for low-visibility take-off, Cat IIIa and rollout; the E190-E2 entry lists Cat II and Cat III fail-passive autoland without rollout guidance, and no head-up guidance. Within the first generation, Transport Canada lists Mach trim among the E190's flight control differences from the E170 and E175.

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The E2 generation

The E2 keeps the type rating and the ERJ 190 data sheet but changes much of the aircraft. The main differences between the E190 and the E190-E2 are:

Automatic flight changed too. In the E190 operating manual, the autopilot's minimum engagement height after take-off is 400 ft on the E1 and 200 ft on the E2, and the E2's minimum use height on an approach is 80 ft for ILS or LPV and 190 ft for a 2D approach, against 50 ft on the E1. Transport Canada notes that an E190-E2 not yet modified by service bulletin 27-0002 has a different autopilot use height from the E195-E2. The operating manual gives the E190-E2 an MMO of 0.82 and a VMO of 300 kt at or below FL80 and 320 kt above FL100.

Flight deck and display units

On the E190 and E190-E2, each pilot has a conventional control column with a control wheel, and rudder pedals, but behind them the flight controls are fly-by-wire, on the first-generation E190 for every primary control except the ailerons, which keep cables (see E-Jet flight controls). An overhead panel (OVHP) and a centre pedestal complete the layout. One E190-E2 detail is counter-intuitive: the OVHP lighting knob at OFF gives maximum intensity, not darkness.

The instruments are shown on display units (DU) in three formats: the primary flight display (PFD), the engine indicating and crew alerting system (EICAS) and the multifunction display (MFD). The first-generation E190 has five portrait DUs of 8 x 10 in; the E190-E2 has four landscape DUs of 13 x 10 in, with multifunction windowing and a different reversion logic. When DUs fail, the formats are kept in a fixed priority on both: PFD first, then EICAS, with the MFD last. On the E190-E2, DU 1 and DU 4 are the PFD positions and the units available at power-up and in electrical emergency; on the E190 the displays available at power-up are DU 2 and DU 3.

On the E190-E2 PFD, the airspeed readout shows rolling digits only above 30 kt. Below M 0.45 the top of the red low-speed band is VS and the top of the amber band is 1.13 VS, where the stick shaker may activate. The Mach number appears above M 0.45 and stays until it falls below M 0.40. The vertical speed needle parks above 4,000 fpm and disappears above 9,999 fpm, with a digital readout added above 550 fpm, and the radio altimeter reads from -20 ft to 2,500 ft AGL.

Integrated avionics and navigation

On the E190-E2 the avionics are integrated in modular avionics units (MAU): the air data applications and the GPS receivers are hosted in them, and ACARS data passes through MAU 1. The first generation's suite is Primus Epic, whose software loads, among them FMS Load 27.2, appear in the Transport Canada report. On the E190-E2:

• Air data. Four air data smart probes (ADSP), each with its own air data computer and pressure sensor, and two total air temperature probes feed three air data applications (ADA) hosted in the MAU. The left PFD reverts from ADS 1 to ADS 3 and then ADS 2 (the right PFD from ADS 2 to ADS 3 and ADS 1); the first reversion is automatic, and SENSORS ADS selects it manually.
• Standby instrument. The standby instrument (IESI in the Transport Canada report, IESS in the operating manual) has its own air data computer and inertial reference, takes its air data through ADS 4 from ADSP 3 and 4, and is not for RVSM use. During its 90 s alignment (INIT 90 s) the aircraft must not be moved.
• Navigation. The IRS aligns automatically on the ground in up to 17 min, has no quick alignment and can align in flight with GPS. GPS 1 sits in MAU 1 and GPS 2 in MAU 3, and each FMS uses its own-side receiver first.
• Radios. VHF 1 and 2 serve voice only; VHF 3 normally carries ACARS data through MAU 1 but can be used for voice. Radios are tuned on the MCDU RADIO page or with the cursor control device on the PFD; the backup page of MCDU 2 tunes only COM 1, NAV 1 and XPDR 1.
• Weather radar and vision. The RDR-4000 radar, an E2 option, adds predictive windshear, active below 1,800 ft AGL and alerting at or below 1,200 ft AGL. The synthetic vision system must not be used as the primary navigation source, and one operator's procedures require it on below MSA.

On the first-generation E190, the FMS gives a vertical track alert 60 s before it commands a climb or descent, or 1,000 ft before a level-off at a constraint, and annunciates DEGRAD when the estimated position uncertainty exceeds the RNP value or its position integrity exceeds the alarm limit. Its Primus P-880 radar scans ±60° at 12 sweeps a minute, or ±30° at 24 in sector scan.

Crew alerting

On the E190 and E190-E2, crew alerting follows the EICAS philosophy rather than the ECAM of the A320: system messages appear on the EICAS format, graded by urgency. On the E190-E2 warnings such as FUEL LO LEVEL bring on the master warning and cautions such as FUEL TANK LO TEMP the master caution, followed by advisories such as REMOTE CB TRIP and then status messages, with the latest message on top. The first-generation E190 has the same kinds of message, for example the advisory AILERON LH FAIL and the status message FLT CTRL TEST IN PROG. On the E190-E2 a message going out does not always end the procedure: the ELEC EMERGENCY and HYD OVERHEAT checklists are completed even after their warnings have cleared.

The PFDs compare the two sides and flag a miscompare. On the E190-E2 the thresholds include 5 kt of airspeed, 200 ft of altitude, 6° of heading or roll, 5° of pitch, 2° of flight path angle, 2/3 dot of glideslope and 1/2 dot of localiser.

The flight deck also signals to the cabin and the ground. On the E190-E2 a CAB call on the interphone gives a single high-low chime and a green light on the cabin's rainbow light, an EMER call a triple chime and a red light, and the RAMP call to the ground crew sounds a horn. An amber rainbow light marks the sterile cockpit phases, from engine start to FL100 and from FL100 to engine shutdown. The general principles are covered in flight warning and alerting systems.

Library articles are written for study and exam preparation. They do not replace your aircraft's approved documentation, your operator's procedures or the regulations themselves.