These planes are still in service with some cargo operators in the United States. Throughout its history, Embraer has built agricultural aircraft and has even built more than 2,500 Pipers under license; Embraer is definitely not a newcomer to general aviation. Perhaps the company’s biggest catalyst to growth was the introduction of the EMB-120 Brasilia turboprop regional airliner in 1985. Despite the many orders that came in for the airplane, there were problems. Having been state-run since its inception, the company was poorly managed and was on the verge of bankruptcy in 1994 when a couple of entrepreneurs led the charge to privatize the company. Very soon thereafter, the ERJ 145 family was born, which was another huge winner, followed by the 170/190 series E-Jets, which came on the scene in the early 2000s.
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Embraer’s first executive jet was the Legacy, which is an executive version of the ERJ 135 regional jet. In 2004, the company announced its intentions to bring a very light jet (VLJ) and a light jet (LJ) to the market: the Phenom 100 and Phenom 300, both of which are in service today. In 2007, the company announced plans for a mid-light jet (MLJ) and mid-size jet (MSJ), now called the Legacy 450 and Legacy 500, both of which are in development. With a maximum takeoff weight of 17,968 pounds, the Phenom 300 is the biggest and heaviest of the singlepilot light jets. With a maximum cruise speed of Mach .78, or 453 knots, a service ceiling of 45,000 feet, and a range with six occupants of 1,971 nautical miles with NBAA IFR reserves, the Phenom 300 is a very capable airplane.
Flight of the Phenom 300 I am type rated in several singlepilot jets, including the classic CE-500 series Citations, the Citation Mustang, the Eclipse 500, and the Embraer Phenom 100 and 300. I’ve now had the opportunity to fly the Phenom 300 on missions varying in length from 175 nautical miles to more than 2,000 nautical miles (with a tailwind), and I’ve operated them in North America, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. Having had the airplane on big runways and small, low altitude and high altitude, and across the Atlantic Ocean, I’ve seen this airplane do it all. Preflight of the Phenom 300 is fairly straightforward. As you walk around the airplane, several nice features appear. For example, as you begin inspecting the nose area, you notice that traditional pitot
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Experience Counts Thirty five years of serving General Aviation
tubes, static ports, and angle-ofattack vanes are replaced by “smart probes,� which incorporate all of those features into one unit. The single-point refueling panel allows the pilot to preselect a desired fuel quantity for the airplane; the system automatically closes the refueling valve when that quantity is reached so that the pilot need not make a calculation and tell the fueler precisely how many gallons the airplane should be serviced with. External servicing of the lavatory can be performed through a panel at the trailing edge of the right wing. A trimable stabilizer is a feature of big airplanes reminiscent of Boeings and Airbuses; elevator trim tabs are not used for trimming – instead the entire stabilizer leading edge moves up and down with an electric jackscrew. Also, a unique feature called a ventral rudder, located beneath the airplane’s tail cone, functions as an automatic yaw damper in all phases of flight, without having to be activated by the pilot.
Photo courtesy of Pilatus Business Aircraft LTD / Photo by Jon Youngblut Photography
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On initial taxi out, a pilot new to the Phenom 300 will notice that the braking system feels a little different than that of other airplanes: the airplane has a brake-by-wire system. Similar to fly-by-wire flight control systems popular in airliners these days, the brake-by-wire system has no direct physical connection from the brake pedals to the brakes. Instead, potentiometers behind the rudder pedals send a signal to a computer, which then activates the brakes. It takes a little bit of getting used to, but the carbon brakes are very effective. The engines have quite a bit of thrust at idle, so there’s no need to advance the thrust levers to taxi, and you end up using the brakes a bit more than you might like during taxi. On takeoff, smoothly advancing the thrust levers to the takeoff position results in very rapid acceleration. With 3,360 pounds of thrust per side, you really get thrown back in your seat. Holding the brakes, advancing the thrust levers, and then releasing the brakes could result in a broken neck. Initial pitch attitude
Bill Shull Photo
to move the throttle or other lever or switch to introduce fuel; this all happens automatically. Also, the full authority digital engine control (FADEC) automatically aborts the start in case of hot start or hung start.
Initial pitch attitude after takeoff is 15 to 20 degrees – anything lower and the pilot risks shooting right through the 180-knot limit for flaps extended. The POH indicates a time-to-climb from sea level to FL450 of 25 minutes at maximum takeoff weight.
after takeoff is 15 to 20 degrees – anything lower and the pilot risks shooting right through the 180-knot limit for flaps extended. Some prefer to reduce thrust almost immediately after takeoff to provide a more comfortable ride for passengers, but I like the rocket ship effect. The recommended climb profile published by Embraer calls for maintaining 225 knots indicated airspeed until hitting Mach 0.60, at which point the climb is continued at Mach 0.60. However, climbing at 250 knots to Mach .70 works well, too. The POH indicates a time-to-
climb from sea level to FL450 of 25 minutes at maximum takeoff weight.
#RUISE #HARACTERISTICS Like all jets, cruise performance varies with altitude and weight. The Phenom 300 thrust levers have five marked positions: Idle, MAX CRZ (max cruise), CON/CLB (continuous and climb), T/O (takeoff), and MAX (an emergency setting that will be discussed later). Interestingly, there is no limitation in the flight manual preventing you from cruising in the CON/CLB setting, which is higher than MAX CRZ. Although there is guidance from Embraer and the
Embraer Photo
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Ralph Duenas Photo AirTeamImages Photo
The avionics is the Prodigy system, which is based on the Garmin G1000 platform. Designed with a “quiet and dark” cockpit concept, the system feaures three 12.4 inch displays that integrate all primary flight, navigation, communication, terrain, traffic, weather, engine instrumentation and crew-alerting system data.
engine manufacturer to cruise in MAX CRZ, I have tried CON/CLB for a short period immediately after leveling off in cruise at FL450 and found that the airplane will accelerate to and exceed the Maximum Operating Mach Number (Mmo) of .78. In other words, you can cruise at Mach .78 all the way up to the service ceiling of 45,000 feet, even though the maximum book figure at that altitude is about 425 knots at mid-cruise weight. To achieve the maximum possible range, the flight must be made at FL450. At that altitude, at long10 s TWIN & TURBINE
range cruise speed, fuel burn is under 800 pounds per hour, or about 120 gallons per hour. Cruising around 400 knots true air speed, you’re getting about 3.3 nautical miles per gallon, which is very efficient for a nine-seat airplane. For short trips at lower altitude, fuel burn can be significantly higher. For a 250 nautical mile trip, for example, where you might cruise at max cruise speed at FL300, fuel burn is about 1,600 pounds per hour, or 240 gallons per hour. This kind of variance of fuel burn with altitude is typical
of jets in this category. The good news is that the airplane climbs so quickly that you rarely cruise at altitudes as low as FL300; you can shoot right through the 30s and be above FL410 and away from 95 percent of the other air traffic in no time.
/PTIONAL %QUIPMENT Customers can choose from a long list of available options. Some of my favorite pilot goodies are the satellite phone, HF radio, synthetic vision, and TCAS II. The satellite phone system is integrated with the Prodigy 300 flight deck, a Garmin G1000 derivative. A page on the AUX chapter of the MFD is dedicated to OCTOBER 2011
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Embraer photo
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the satellite phone. Here, you can dial a number using the keypad and make the call. The phone audio comes through the audio panel and into your headset. I’ve used this feature extensively to call home to California from over Europe or call ahead to the destination to talk with a handler. There is also a handset in the cabin that passengers can use to make calls. The system also accepts incoming calls, which are presented with an alert message on the MFD and an audible tone in the cockpit.
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HF, or high frequency radio, with SELCAL, or selective calling, is available in the Phenom 300 as well. On a recent flight from Newfoundland, Canada to Santa Maria in the Azores Island of the North Atlantic, I used the HF radio to communicate with Gander, New York, and Santa Maria oceanic control centers. SELCAL allows the controllers to alert the pilot of a particular airplane when they have a message to pass on, so that the pilot need not listen to the chatter and static on the HF during the entire flight. A light on the glareshield illuminates and an aural “SELCAL” alert is used to alert the pilot that the controller wants to speak with him or her. The synthetic vision on the Phenom 300 is similar to that on other G1000-equipped airplanes, providing a flight path vector, forward-looking terrain, and “pathways,” or highway-in-the-sky boxes to fly through. Of all of these, the most useful for me is the flight OCTOBER 2011
retards the thrust levers to idle. This function is completely automatic and does not require any arming. The Phenom 300 handles beautifully. Although it has a swept wing, the feel on landing is nearly identical to that of its straightwinged Phenom 100 little brother. Vref at maximum landing weight is 118 knots. At more typical landing weights, Vref is around 108 knots. Published landing distances at all
weights and 4,000 foot elevations and below are 3,000 feet or less. With its powerful carbon braking system and automatic ground spoilers, these numbers are very achievable.
0HENOM #ABIN AND &EATURES Walking up to the Phenom 300 on the ramp, you feel that this is a large airplane. Its striking swept wing with winglets and tall stance give it great ramp appeal. The cabin entry door is wide and has a built-in air stair. The
path vector, which indicates the airplane’s trajectory, not its attitude. This particularly helps when making a visual approach to an unfamiliar airport, or at night. Even with no visual approach slope indicator near the runway, setting up a threedegree glide path to the touchdown zone is as simple as putting the flight path vector on the little picture of the runway on the primary flight display. Of course, synthetic vision helps tremendously with situational awareness in mountainous areas, as well. The Phenom 300 features a mixed-use spoiler system. Two spoiler panels are on top of each wing and are hydraulically actuated. At slow speed with flaps partially or fully extended, when the pilot commands a high roll rate by deflecting the control wheel in the cockpit significantly, the spoiler panels on the wing-down side deploy partially to augment the roll control provided by the ailerons. The pilot commands the “speed brake” feature with the speed brake switch near the thrust levers. There is no variable deflection available in this mode – it’s either fully open or fully closed; however, the speed brakes deploy and retract smoothly and comfortably. Once deployed, descent rates of greater than 6,000 feet per minute are possible. The “ground spoiler” function automatically deploys the spoiler panels on landing as soon as the main gear touches down, and in case of an aborted takeoff, when the pilot OCTOBER 2011
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AirTeamImages Photo
At 45,000 feet, the nine-place cabin stays at a pleasant 6,600 feet. The intelligent climate control allows two distinct temperature zones. The aircraft accommodates flexible configurations for up to nine occupants and a total baggage capacity of 76 cu. ft.
telescoping, tubular steel supports on each side of the door and polished handrail give you more of a feeling of boarding a Gulfstream rather than a light jet. The Phenom 300 has the categoryleading cabin size. Embraer’s “OvalLite” cabin has a height of 4 feet, 11 inches, and a width of 5 feet 1 inch. The standard cabin comes with six seats, in addition to the two pilot seats, and an enclosed aft lavatory. An optional seventh cabin seat is available. A center-club seating configuration is accompanied by two forward-facing seats behind. The optional seventh seat is aft facing and forward of the center club. A large galley is located across from the entry door. There are many nice cabin options including high-gloss wood veneer, a lavatory sink, and a couple of configurations on in-flight entertainment equipment.
3INGLE 0ILOT 3IMPLICITY Single-pilot airplanes have come a long way over the last decade, and the Phenom 300 is one the best examples of where technology has empowered the owner-pilot with greater capability and performance. To be able to fly across the country at Mach .78 in an airplane built to airline standards is truly fantastic. Even with its inherent complexity, the systems design is smart, automated, and user-friendly, and its handling characteristics make this an airplane that is a pleasure to fly. T &T Ben Marcus is CEO and co-founder of jetAVIVA, a light jet sales and acquisition firm based in Santa Monica, CA. Ben holds type ratings in five single pilot jets and the Boeing 747-400, co-owns a Pitts S-2C, and flies helicopters. Contact Ben at ben@jetAVIVA. com or visit www.jetAVIVA.com.
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Embraer photo
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Phenom 300 Specifications 0OWERPLANT 07 # 07 % %NGINE THRUST LB %NGINE 4"/ HRS --/ -AXIMUM CELING FT 2ANGE WITH ."!! NM )&2 RESERVES (IGH SPEED CRUISE +4!3 4IME TO CLIMB MIN TO &, "LOCK FUEL LB FOR NM 4AKEOFF DISTANCE FT ,ANDING DISTANCE FT #ABIN SEATING #ABIN VOLUME CU FT "AGGAGE STORAGE CU FT %XTERNAL NOISE %0.D" BELOW 3TAGE )6
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