The Prototype That Changed Regional Aviation: The Story of Embraer's First E190

Every successful aircraft begins with a series of questions. Can it fly safely? Can it meet performance goals? Can it satisfy regulators around the world? Before passengers ever board a new aircraft, someone has to prove the answers.

For the Embraer E190, that responsibility fell to one remarkable airplane: PP-XMA, the very first E190 ever built.

Today, the Embraer E190 is a familiar sight at airports across the globe. Praised for its comfortable cabin, fuel efficiency, and versatility, it has become one of the world's most successful regional airliners. But before airlines embraced the E190, PP-XMA spent years serving as Embraer's flying laboratory, helping transform a promising design into a certified commercial aircraft.

A New Generation for Embraer

In the late 1990s, Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer was ready to take its next step. Its ERJ family of regional jets had earned a reputation for reliability, but airlines were looking for larger aircraft that could carry more passengers while remaining efficient on shorter routes. To meet that demand, Embraer introduced the E-Jet family at the Paris Air Show on June 14, 1999.

The new lineup included four aircraft: the E170, E175, E190, and E195. Together they represented a new generation of regional aviation, offering larger cabins, advanced flight controls, improved fuel efficiency, and a passenger-friendly 2-2 seating arrangement that eliminated middle seats.

The E190 would become the family's most versatile member, capable of carrying up to 114 passengers while serving routes that were too small for larger narrow-body airliners. Read about another Embraer aircraft MotoArt worked with: Embraer EMB 312 Tucano: Versatile Hero of Modern Warfare

The Aircraft That Proved the Design

Embrarer PP-XMA flickr photo by Drewski2112 shared under a Creative Commons (BY-NC 2.0) license

On March 12, 2004, PP-XMA lifted off from Embraer's facility in São José dos Campos, Brazil, on the first flight of the E190 program. While airline passengers would eventually measure the aircraft by its comfort and reliability, engineers measured it very differently. Every flight gathered valuable information.

Engineers evaluated handling characteristics, fuel efficiency, system performance, structural loads, and countless other factors required before certification could be granted. Some flights focused on takeoffs and landings. Others intentionally pushed the aircraft toward the edges of its operating envelope to demonstrate that it remained safe under demanding conditions.

Prototype aircraft like PP-XMA aren't built to carry passengers. They're built to answer questions. The knowledge gained from these flights shaped every production E190 that followed.

Embraer E190 At A Glance

Characteristics

Manufacturer: Embraer
Type: Embraer E190STD (ERJ 190-100STD)
Tail #: PP-XMA
Operator: Embraer (Flight Test Aircraft)
MSN: 19000001
Passengers: Test/Prototype Aircraft (no standard passenger configuration)
Wingspan: 94 ft 3 in
Length: 126 ft 1 in
Height: 34 ft 8 in

Performance

Range: 2,850 mi
Max Operating Speed: Mach 0.82
Service Ceiling: 41,000 ft
Empty Weight: 62,610 lb
Max Takeoff Weight: 114,200 lb
Rate of Climb: 2,500 ft/min
Engines: 2× General Electric CF34-10E5 turbofan engines

Opening the Door to London City Airport

One of PP-XMA's most important assignments came in 2009. London City Airport is unlike almost any other commercial airport in the world. Surrounded by buildings in the heart of London's Docklands, it requires aircraft to fly a steep 5.5-degree approach, far steeper than the standard three-degree glide path used at most airports. The airport also has a relatively short runway and strict noise restrictions. Only specially certified aircraft are allowed to operate there.

The famous London City approach flickr photo by Frans Zwart shared under a Creative Commons (BY-NC-ND 2.0) license

PP-XMA conducted the flight testing needed to certify the E190 for these demanding approaches, proving that the aircraft could safely serve one of the world's most challenging commercial airports. The certification expanded the E190's capabilities and opened new opportunities for airlines serving city-center destinations.

See It in Action

Reading about London City Airport's steep approaches is one thing. Seeing them is another.

Watch this short video to experience an Embraer E190 landing, taking off, taxiing, and parking at one of the world's most challenging commercial airports. The airport's steep 5.5-degree approach, short runway, and incredibly tight parking areas help explain why PP-XMA's certification testing was such an important milestone for the E190 program.

A Regional Jet That Redefined Comfort

The E190 quickly became a favorite among both airlines and passengers. Its spacious cabin, generous overhead bins, and two-by-two seating meant every passenger enjoyed either a window or aisle seat. Combined with modern fly-by-wire flight controls and efficient General Electric CF34-10E engines, the aircraft offered airlines an economical solution for routes that didn't require larger aircraft.

E190 Interior | Embraer.com

Major carriers around the world, including JetBlue, Azul, KLM Cityhopper, Air Canada, and many others, added the E190 to their fleets. More than two decades after PP-XMA's first flight, the E190 remains one of the most successful aircraft in its class.

MotoArt Finds the First E190 Prototype

By Quintin Soloviev - Own work, CC BY 4.0, Link

After nearly two decades helping certify one of the world's most successful regional aircraft, PP-XMA's mission had come to an end. In 2021, the aircraft was retired and flown to Kingman Airport in Arizona, where it joined hundreds of other retired aircraft awaiting their next chapter. Surrounded by rows of airliners in the desert, the prototype that had once introduced the E190 to the world quietly sat beneath the Arizona sun.

For most aircraft, retirement marks the end of the story. For MotoArt, it's often where a new one begins. Known for preserving aviation history through authentic aircraft materials, the MotoArt team recognized that PP-XMA wasn't simply another retired airplane. It was the first E190 prototype, the aircraft that helped certify an entire family of regional jets now flying passengers around the globe.

When the opportunity arose to preserve material from PP-XMA, MotoArt knew it was more than acquiring aluminum. It was preserving a piece of aviation history that had shaped modern regional travel. 

"Some airplanes are remembered for the places they flew or the passengers they carried," said Dave Hall, founder of MotoArt and PlaneTags. "This one is remembered because it proved an entirely new aircraft could do its job. Every E190 flying today owes something to the work this prototype accomplished. Being able to preserve a part of that history is incredibly rewarding."

Today, instead of disappearing into history, pieces of PP-XMA continue their journey as PlaneTags, allowing collectors to own a tangible connection to the aircraft that helped launch one of Embraer's most successful programs.

E190 PlaneTags

Transforming a historic aircraft into PlaneTags is a meticulous process that combines craftsmanship, precision, and a deep respect for aviation history.

After sections of PP-XMA were carefully removed by the MotoArt acquisition team, the material made its way to MotoArt Studios in Torrance, California. There, the production team began the painstaking work of transforming weathered aircraft skin into collectible pieces of aviation history.

Every panel is carefully inspected, cleaned, and prepared before cutting begins. The aluminum is then precision-cut into the familiar PlaneTags shape while preserving as much of the aircraft's original character as possible. Existing paint, markings, rivet holes, inspection panels, and other features are intentionally retained whenever possible, making each PlaneTag unique.

From there, every tag moves through multiple stages of production, including finishing, engraving, quality inspection, and packaging. Each one is individually serialized, creating a collectible that is truly one of a kind.

For PP-XMA, preserving those original details was especially important. As the first E190 prototype, every surviving piece represents an aircraft that helped certify an entire generation of regional jets. The distinctive blue and white paint, along with markings from its years as Embraer's flight-test aircraft, give collectors the opportunity to own a genuine piece of aviation history.

The result is more than a souvenir. It's a piece of the airplane that helped introduce the Embraer E190 to the world, preserved by the craftsmen at MotoArt so its story can continue for generations to come.

Preserving the Beginning

Most aircraft become memorable because of where they fly or the passengers they carry.

PP-XMA earned its place in aviation history before it ever entered airline service.

As the first E190 prototype, it helped validate a design that would go on to serve airlines and travelers around the world. Every successful E190 flying today traces part of its heritage back to the testing performed by this pioneering aircraft.

Today, that legacy continues in a new form. Each PlaneTag preserves a piece of the aircraft that helped launch an entire generation of regional aviation, allowing collectors to own part of the prototype that made it all possible. Don't miss the Embraer EMB AT-27 Tucano PlaneTags.

Preserving Aviation's Pioneers

"Prototype aircraft don't usually become famous, but they're some of the most important airplanes ever built. Before an airline can trust a new aircraft with millions of passengers, a prototype has to prove it can do everything engineers designed it to do. PP-XMA did exactly that, and we're proud to preserve a piece of its story." - Dave Hall

Prototype aircraft occupy a unique place in aviation history. Long before passengers board a new airliner or pilots fly a new military aircraft, prototypes prove the design, push the limits, and pave the way for every aircraft that follows.

PP-XMA now joins a distinguished group of prototype and experimental aircraft that MotoArt has preserved through PlaneTags. Each represents an important milestone in aerospace innovation and gives collectors the opportunity to own a piece of the aircraft that came first.

Prototype and Experimental PlaneTags Collection

• Embraer E190 Prototype (PP-XMA) – The very first E190 prototype, which completed its maiden flight in 2004 and played a central role in flight testing and certification for one of the world's most successful regional jet families.

• XP-82 Twin Mustang – Built by joining two P-51 Mustang fuselages into a single long-range escort fighter, the XP-82 represented the final evolution of the legendary Mustang. PlaneTags were created from authentic skin from the second XP-82 prototype after its remarkable decade-long restoration.

• Northrop F-5 Prototype (N-156F) – The original prototype that evolved into the F-5 Freedom Fighter and T-38 Talon family. Its lightweight design and outstanding performance influenced military and training aircraft that have served around the world for more than six decades.

• Air Tractor AT-1002A – Crafted directly from the original AT-1002A prototype, the aircraft that introduced Air Tractor's largest purpose-built firefighting and utility platform, designed to support aerial firefighting and other demanding missions.

• Sikorsky S-60 Flying Crane – Made from the 1958 prototype of Sikorsky's revolutionary heavy-lift helicopter. The S-60 pioneered the flying crane concept, demonstrating how helicopters could transport oversized cargo suspended beneath the aircraft, influencing generations of heavy-lift rotorcraft.

From pioneering fighters and heavy-lift helicopters to agricultural aircraft and regional airliners, prototype aircraft represent the ideas that became aviation milestones. Through PlaneTags, these groundbreaking machines continue to tell their stories, one authentic piece at a time.