If you’re at the Paris Air Show this month, you’ll see an eye-catching E-Jet E2 in the air and in the static display area. Our E195-E2 is taking a break from its rigorous flight test schedule in São José dos Campos to make its international début at Le Bourget.

We call the airplane The Profit Hunter, a name that symbolizes the E2’s ability to adapt to any environment, to fly long distances with tremendous efficiency, and to hunt down new business opportunities in today’s fiercely competitive marketplace. Our inspiration for the name comes from the Golden Eagle, a magnificent bird with a strong focus and sharp eye so that it can survive in harsh and unforgiving habitats.

I had envisioned the face of the bird on the front of the airplane as a way to promote The Profit Hunter concept but I wasn’t satisfied with the proposals I had received from external suppliers to paint the image. I was sharing my concern about finding a suitable painter during a meeting with a group of employees. Few days later, an industrious young technician, Clodoaldo Quintana, stood up and said “I can do it,” and offered to design and produce the likeness of the bird.

I was impressed by his initiative and even more impressed with his enthusiasm for the project. I gave him free rein to let his creativity soar. Little did I know that Quintana had the artistic talent of a modern-day Renoir.

During the day, the E195-E2’s hangar is filled with engineers and technicians working on tasks associated with the aircraft’s certification program. But every night for nearly a month, it became Quintana’s studio and the big white E-Jet fuselage was his canvas. After his regular shift, and on his own time, he became Quintana, the painter.

He studied the shape of the E2’s radome, the angle of the windshields, and the curved outline of the nose. And then, armed only with some masking paper, tape and a spray-paint gun, Quintana and a colleague, Marlon, started bringing the eagle to life.

You can see the wonderful work of Quintana and Marlon in this brief video.

It’s a stunning work of art and testament to the imagination and talent of our people. Quintana is both a skilled technician and an artist. But what makes his talent as an aircraft painter all the more remarkable is that he has never flown on any aircraft or seen any of the masterpieces of the world’s most renowned artists. His creativity is original. His eye for detail is keen.

It’s why we’ve invited Quintana and Marlon to join the Embraer team in Paris this month to attend the air show and to see their E2 Golden Eagle on display at the industry’s biggest gathering of the year. It will give me tremendous pride to introduce them to everyone who visits the aircraft.

We’ve also arranged time for them to visit the city’s many famous museums and galleries where I know seeing the creativity of other great artists will enrich their lives and keep inspiring them in their work.

And the next time you see something in the sky and ask, “Is it a bird? Is it a plane?” It could well be both. It could be the Golden Eagle E195-E2, by our great painter Quintana!