Air Brazil

As a kid, I was obsessed with airplanes. The first flight I ever took was with my grandfather, a veteran of the Mighty Eighth, when I was about 5 years old.

That was back when stewardesses were friendly, the food was good, the silverware was made of metal, and passengers–especially 5-year old kids–were more than welcome to check out the cockpit during the flight, and flying was…sorta fun.

Now, unless you have your own jet, flying sucks, and I’m glad that my grandfather isn’t around to see what a nightmare commercial air travel has become. I’m also sure he would be surprised to learn that one of the best aircraft manufacturing companies in the world hails from Brazil.

Embraer (nyse: ERJ) is based in Brazil, but it’s a truly borderless company. For more of my thoughts on ERJ check out the following story on Forbes.com.