Phenom 100
EMBRAER’S VERY
LIGHT JET
WITH ITS SLEEK LINES AND HIGH TECH PROFILE,
THE PHENOM 100 JUST KEEPS TURNING HEADS.
By Bill Cox
FIRST
LOOK
Whatever else you say about Vern Raeburn, cockeyed optimist, con man or visionary, he was
at least partially right that there apparently IS a market for very light jets.
OK, so he did wildly exaggerate the impact of light business jets. We’ll probably never see the sky
darkened by thousands of little, six-seat, twin-turbine jets as Raeburn predicted, but he did correct-
ly forecast a market for owner-flown light jets in the 350/400-knot category available for $3 million to $4 million.
Raeburn almost single-handedly created the very light jet market, even if most other VLJ manufacturers prefer not to
call it that. Today, there are three viable light, mini-jets on the market, and at least one more to premiere in the near future.
Predictably, Cessna’s Citation Mustang was the first to reach certification, followed in short order by the Eclipse 500
and the Brazilian Embraer Phenom 100. By now, everyone knows the story of the Eclipse’s rescue from bankruptcy by
Mason Holland’s investment group and subsequent resurrection as the Total Eclipse and later, the improved Eclipse 550.
14 I
C O N T R A I L S
I
S U M M E R 2 0 1 5
S U M M E R 2 0 1 5
I
C O N T R A I L S
I 15
Phenom 100
Advanced Type Rating Courses for Citation Aircraft
PIC / SIC INITIAL, UPGRADE, AND RECURRENT TRAINING FOR:
CE-500 Citation Series Type Rating
CE-510 Citation Mustang Type Rating
CE-525 CitationJet CJ Series Type Rating
CE-650 Citation III, VI, VII Series Type Rating
Aircraft Model Differences Training
later models of the PW-617F-E engine
The Phenom 100 was Embraer’s first foray
into the world of light jets, an off-the-draw- provide a 10-minute thrust rating of 1,820
pounds, about 108 percent power.
ing-board-and-into-the-marketplace effort
You board the 100 through a convenwith virtually no resemblance to anything
tional one-piece, swing-down door that
Embraer had built before. Additionally,
most people should be able to operate with
Embraer sidestepped any possible xenoone hand. There are boarding rails on both
phobia from Americans who might have
sides, and once you’re inside, you turn
felt that light jets are primarily a U.S. prodright for first class and left for the office.
uct. The Brazilian company constructed an
There is no coach.
assembly plant in Melbourne, Fla. Like so
Flight crew are greeted with the Prodigy
many other technologically sophisticated
flat-panel, cockpit display, a variation
machines, Phenom 100s are truly multion the Garmin G1000. Prodigy includes
national products, assembled from mainly
checklists, a business jet imperative, and
American components.
synoptics, a system that automatically
(When the Phenom 100 was introduced
highlights any anomalies, a welcome carin 2007, the Austrian/Canadian SF-50
ryover from Embraer’s experience building
D-Jet, Piper Altaire and the Cirrus Vision,
airliners. All variations of the G1000 take
all three single-engine models, were the
some getting used to, and I’d wager you’ll
only other light jets planned for the VLJ
spend more time studying the avionics
class. Development was discontinued three
system than on learning to fly the Phenom.
years ago on the Altaire and D-Jet, but
Engine start is a simple matter of turning
Cirrus hopes to certify and begin deliveries
a switch to Start and monitoring the
of the SF-50 Vision later this year.)
gauges. The FADEC system takes care of
For power on the Phenom 100, Embraer
practically everything. In seeming contrachose the Pratt &Whitney Canada PWdiction of the traditional wisdom that jets
617E-F turbofan engines, rated for 1,695
are extremely complicated, the Phenom
pounds takeoff thrust up to ISA +10C. The
100 does practically everything by itself,
engines feature dual, full-authority, digwith little more than monitoring
ital engine control (FADEC), and an
FIRST by the flight crew. If any engine
automatic performance reserve feaLOOK
parameter crashes into the red, the
ture boosts thrust to 1,777 pounds
FADEC system will automatically
in the event of an engine failure on
shut down the engine.
takeoff. If that’s not enough power,
Meanwhile, back in the executive end
of the airplane where the bills are paid,
Embraer designed the fuselage in an appropriately oval shape, 61 inches across by
59 inches tall. Interior appointments were
commissioned through BMW Designworks USA, and the result is a nearly
7-series main cabin, in all the best respects.
The Phenoms have the largest windows
in the class, brightening the interior
measurably. The fuselage cross section is
wide enough to offer plenty of room in
the aisle and the seats without crowding.
Embraer paid special attention to sound
deadening in back, and no one should
need to raise his or her voice to be heard,
even at max cruise.
You have your choice of a number of
seating configurations. With a single pilot
up front, you can carry up to seven folks
in back, and there’s a blue room at the far
aft station. True, all the occupants can’t
be 170-pounders, and two will be riding
sidesaddle, but it is possible to fill the seats
and travel a short distance
FADEC makes setting takeoff power
almost silly simple. Push to the appropriate
visual preset, takeoff/go around power, and
the engines take care of themselves. There’s
a max continuous climb setting, a max
cruise setting and, if you get into trouble,
there’s a max power position full forward,
the only one guarded by a detent.
772.223.1219
www.premierjettraining.com
MAILING & HANGAR
2324 SE Liberator Lane, #104
Stuart, FL 34996
Corporate Office
2382 Curtis King Blvd.
Fort Pierce, FL 34946
16 I
C O N T R A I L S
I
772.223.1219
S U M M E R 2 0 1 5
Phenom 100
EMBRAER’S STEP-UP, NOT-SO-LIGHT JETS
F
or those with a need for slightly more room speed and range, Embraer’s next
airplane in the hierarchy offers what may be the perfect formula.
For $9.13 million, the swept-wing Phenom 300 pushes the cruise ante to 453
knots, increases max altitude to FL450, boosts total capacity to two crew and nine
passengers and extends max range out to nearly 2,000 nm.
Embraer’s true mid-weight business jets are the Legacy 450 and 500, both of which
should have been certified by the time you read this. Max seating is two crew plus
12 passengers on the 500, two plus nine on the 450. Both airplanes are certified for
operation at FL450 and will cruise at a max 450 knots, about Mach .78-.80. Range is
typically 2,500-3,000 nm, and the airplanes can use runways as short as 4,500 feet.
The 2014 prices were $16.6 million for the Legacy 450 and $20 million for the
Legacy 500.
EMBRAER PHENOM 100E
New Price (2014):
18 I
C O N T R A I L S
I
S U M M E R 2 0 1 5
brake-by-wire system is a new experience,
but it’s nothing to fear. Just as with fly-bywire, there’s no cable or control rod connection between the cockpit controls and
brakes, just an electrical connection that
measures how much pressure you apply to
each pedal and feeds back the appropriate
brake action.
There is one caveat, however. As mentioned above, Vref on the airplane is 91-105
knots. The problem on the Phenom 100
was that the airplane was/is not equipped
with thrust reversers, and it’s so clean, it’s
critical that pilots maintain accurate speed
control on final.
Early Phenom 100s had problems with
pilots trying to use differential braking.
The brake-by-wire system was touchy and
could cause loss of control if pilots didn’t
stay ahead of it.
As a result, Embraer recently installed
the ninth BCU (Brake Control Unit), added spoilers to the Phenom 100 and redesignated the airplane the 100E (the “E” stands
for enhanced). The boards may be used in
flight and deploy automatically when the
airplane senses weight on the wheels after
landing and enhances braking action. (The
system is available as a retrofit for $300,000
and adds 110 pounds to empty weight.)
One of Embraer’s goals on the Phenom
100 was to offer better performance than
any of its competition, and the airplane
achieves it in practically every area. Pilots
have signaled their approval of the Phenom
100 by purchasing more than 300 of the
type since the beginning of 2009. The Phenom 100 is faster, arguably more comfortable, equally as easy to fly as the Mustang
or Eclipse 550, and it looks great sitting on
the ramp, a turbine-powered stiletto for the
pilot who has (practically) everything.
Just don’t call it a VLJ.
P&W-917-E-F
Thrust (lbs t ISA +10):
1695
TBO (hrs):
3500
Fuel type:
The Phenom 100 scampers uphill at an
initial 3,000 fpm, but most pilots will drop
the nose to maintain 1,500-2,000 fpm for a
better view of what they’re not going to hit.
Like all the light jets, the Phenom 100 bleeds
off to about 500 fpm near the top of climb.
The straight-wing Phenom 100 is certified
for flight at FL410, so pressurization limits
have been set at a maximum 8.3 psi. That
means the 100 should maintain an 8,000foot cabin altitude at its maximum cruise
height or a sea-level cabin to about FL210.
Cruise speeds can be as you like them,
depending upon how quickly you need
to get to your destination. Max cruise is
listed at 390 knots at altitudes in the mid30s, burning 127 gph. The more popular
settings are 323 knots at 103 gph at the
same altitude or 333 knots at 41,000 feet on
a relatively miserly 78 gph. Higher is nearly
always better in any turbine.
You’ll typically burn about 25 percent of
your fuel load during climb, so you’ll have
about 310 gallons (2,077 pounds) remaining
for cruise. That makes operation at FL410 all
the more important, where you’ll have about
three hours endurance plus reserve.
If you have experience in any of the
cabin-class piston twins of the 1970s
and 1980s, you’ll find the Phenom 100’s
pattern handling almost ridiculously
docile. Typical approach speeds are 91 to
105 knots, depending upon weight, slower
than most pilots used for the Duke, 421 or
414. Like most jets, there’s very little flare.
You simply “pinch” the inverted A yoke
back an imperceptible amount, and the
Phenom 100 will practically land itself. The
stout trailing beam gear absorbs even the
most ham-handed approach and assures a
reasonable transition from sky to ground,
no matter what your previous experience.
Once you’re down and rolling, the
$4.35M
Engine make/model:
Landing gear type:
Jet A
Retr/Trailing Beam
Max ramp wt (lbs):
10,516
Gross weight (lbs):
10,472
Std empty weight (lbs):
7132
Max landing weight (lbs): Useful load – std (lbs):
9766
3384
Usable fuel – std (gal/lbs): 418.5/2804
Payload – full std fuel (lbs): Wingspan:
580
48’ 4”
Overall length:
42’ 1”
Height:
14’ 3”
Wing area (sq ft):
201.7
Wing loading (lbs/sq ft):
Power loading (lbs/hp):
51.9
3.09
Seating capacity:
Cabin doors:
8 (max)
1
Cabin width (in):
61
Cabin height (in):
59
Performance
Max Cruise Speed (kts):390 (@ FL330 @ 127 gph)
Rec. Cruise Speed (kts):323 (@ FL330 @ 103 gph)
LR Cruise Speed (kts)): 333 (@ FL410 @ 78 gph)
Best rate of climb, SL (fpm):
3030
S/E rate of climb, SL (fpm): S.E service ceiling (ft): 521
23,260
Maximum Operating Altitude (ft):
Stall – Vso (kts):
TO ground roll (ft):
Ldg ground roll (ft): FL410
77
3400
2722
For more information, contact
Embraer Executive Jets
1111 General Aviation Drive
Melbourne, FL 32935
Tel.: 954.359.5387 (Sales only)
Tel.: 321.751.5050 (Front Desk)
EmbraerExecutiveJets.com
All specifications are based on manufacturer’s calcAll
specifications are based on manufacturer’s calculations. All specs and performance numbers are drawn
from official sources, often the aircraft flight manual
or the manufacturer’s website