**EXHIBIT
        12.1**
  **CERTIFICATION**
  I,
        Frederico Pinheiro Fleury Curado, certify that:
  1.
        I have
        reviewed this annual report on Form 20-F of Embraer - Empresa Brasileira
        de
        Aeronáutica S.A.;
  2.
        Based
        on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material
        fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made,
        in
        light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading
        with respect to the period covered by this report;
  3.
        Based
        on my knowledge, the financial statements and other financial information
        included in this report fairly present in all material respects the financial
        condition, results of operations and cash flows of the company as of and
        for the
        periods presented in this report;
  4.
        The
        company’s other certifying officers and I are responsible for establishing and
        maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act
        Rules
        13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as
        defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the company and
        have:
  a)
        designed such disclosure controls and procedures or caused such disclosure
        controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision to ensure that
        material information relating to the company, including its consolidated
        subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly
        during the period in which this report is being prepared;
  b)
        designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal
        control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to
        provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting
        and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance
        with generally accepted accounting principles;
  c)
        evaluated the effectiveness of the company’s disclosure controls and procedures
        and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the
        disclosure controls and procedures as of the end of the period covered by
        this
        report based on such evaluation; and
  d)
        disclosed in this report any change in the company’s internal control over
        financial reporting that occurred during the period covered by the annual
        report
        that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect,
        the
        company’s internal control over financial reporting; and
  5.
        The
        company’s other certifying officers and I have disclosed, based on our most
        recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the company’s
        auditors and to the audit committee of the company’s board of directors (or
        persons performing the equivalent functions):
  a)
        all
        significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation
        of
        internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to
        adversely affect the company’s ability to record, process, summarize and report
        financial information; and
  b)
        any
        fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees
        who
        have a significant role in the company’s internal control over financial
        reporting.
  Date:
        May
        19, 2008
 
 By:
              /S/FREDERICOPINHEIROFLEURYCURADOFrederico
                  Pinheiro Fleury CuradoPresident
                  and Chief Executive Officer