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T H E W O R L D ’ S M O S T W I D E LY R E A D A V I AT I O N M A G A Z I N E / R E P R I N T E D F R O M J U N E 2 0 1 2
STILL A
PHENOM
Embraer’s Entry-Level Marvel
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2. STILL A
PHENOM
How Embraer transformed its entry-level
Phenom 100 into a better version of itself
>>> BY ROBERT GOYER
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4. T
HE PHENOM 100
sitting on the ramp at Clay
Lacy Aviation in Van Nuys,
California, looked for all
the world like a Brazilian airplane, but
it wasn’t, at least not entirely. It was,
in fact, the second Phenom 100 to
be assembled in the United States, at
Embraer’s impressive facility in Melbourne, Florida. The Melbourne site is
testimony to Embraer’s commitment
to jumping into the North American
market with both feet, providing airplanes assembled here of components
that are largely U.S. sourced.
It seems like longer than five years
ago that Embraer earned certification for its Phenom 100 entry-level jet,
which had been announced just a few
years earlier. The launch of the program was done at the height of the
very light jet (VLJ) craze, back when
the energy of Eclipse was still powering great interest in the segment and
before it became clear that the concept
of the VLJ category was largely a product of hype. Two companies that were
inspired to build new sub-10,000pound airplanes, Embraer and Cessna,
both rejected the VLJ label, claiming
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their new entry-level jets, the Phenom
100 and Mustang, respectively, were
simply new Part 23 models and not
an attempt to create any kind of new
category. It’s clear in hindsight their
approach was conservative and largely
conventional. Both airplanes are nocompromise jets that just happen to be
at the light end of the spectrum. And
despite a challenging market, both airplanes have enjoyed strong sales over
their still short histories.
While Cessna was, at the launch of
the Mustang, a longtime light jet manufacturer, the Phenom 100 broke new
ground for Embraer. It was, indeed, a
remarkable achievement. Even though
it’s been only a few years since the
100’s entry into service, many people have forgotten that the jet was the
Brazilian airline maker’s first foray
into a purpose-built bizjet. The company is no newcomer to turbines. It’s
been building airliners for decades
and pioneered, along with Bombardier, the regional jet concept. Its first
bizjets were derivatives of its airliners. The large-cabin Legacy 600 was
fast, roomy and priced right. Its luxurious Lineage 1000 was a bizjet spinoff of one of Embraer’s larger regional
jets. But it had yet to build a bizjet
from a clean sheet. The 100 would be
its first try.
While there were the expected
growing pains, the effort was a success.
Embraer’s completion of the project
on time and on performance signaled
that Embraer was not just a new bizjet
player but one that is not to be taken
lightly either. At the same time, there
were early maintenance issues with the
Phenom 100 — problems with the
brake-by-wire system, flap computer
and air-conditioning system — causing headaches for early owners. By all
>>> The company is no newcomer to turbines. It’s been
building airliners for decades.
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5. appearances, those problems have been
solved. Moreover, Embraer’s response
to the issues highlighted the company’s
intense commitment to making things
right, to doing whatever was necessary
to get their customers’ airplanes back
in the air. It signaled clearly Embraer’s
commitment to being a major player.
And no one questioned the underlying
quality of the Phenon 100, despite the
teething pain. Owners love the airplane.
Following the 100, Embraer quickly
earned certification for its Embraer
300 large-light model. And a remarkably advanced midsize model, the Legacy 500, is closing in on first flight and
a 2013 certification date. The 500 features fly-by-wire flight controls, industry leading projected performance and
an enviably large cabin.
Enter 100
The modus operandi for Embraer had
been to compete with established bizjet makers by offering more value —
larger cabins, faster speeds and better
>>> The rear baggage compartment, the largest in its class, can be easily loaded
and unloaded without a stepladder. Above: The Phenom 100 we flew for this report
was the second one assembled in the United States, at Embraer’s impressive new
Melbourne, Florida, facility.
loads — for less money. The Legacy,
for instance, was marketed as a supermidsize airplane but really competed
against large-cabin models while costing millions less.
The Phenom 100 did not seem to
follow this strategy. Instead, it pushed
the envelope of the entry-level concept,
offering best-in-class performance while
costing substantially more than its competitor. In reality, the 100 didn’t really
compete against Cessna’s new Mustang
but against the company’s long established CJ, in the form of the now discontinued CJ1+. The emerging M2
model, a CJ offshoot (Model 525) but
with upgraded avionics and interior,
most closely matches the performance,
cabin and amenities of the 100.
In addition to its performance, the
100 brought value to the equation
through Embraer’s airline heritage. It’s
not just talk either. This entry-level jet
has integrated engine indicating and
crew alerting system, fadec engines,
electronic monitoring and control of all
systems through its synoptics system.
It does, of course, feature fully redundant flat-panel avionics, dual-channel
digital flight control, dual batteries,
maintenance-friendly design and brakeby-wire, all remarkable features for a jet
of the Phenom 100’s class.
Flying Phenom
As advanced as it is, the Phenom 100
was designed to be a single-pilot jet —
Embraer’s 450-knot Phenom 300 shares
this trait. The concept of building a
single-pilot light bizjet isn’t new: Cessna
has been doing it and doing it well
for 40 years. But the Phenom 100 has
established itself in that same class. The
100 is a single-pilot-friendly airplane.
There are three main reasons for
this: the avionics, the engines and the
layout, the first two of which represent
recent technology breakthroughs that
Embraer has smartly leveraged into
single-pilot goodness.
By now everyone is likely aware that
the Prodigy cockpit in the 100 is an offshoot of the Garmin G1000 avionics
suite. The Mustang has a G1000-based
avionics installation too. Prodigy is a
great fit for the 100, and for pilots like
me who have some experience flying
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6. >>> The Prodigy flight deck in the Phenom 100 is based on the Garmin G1000 glass
cockpit. It is enhanced with integrated electronic engine management, graphical
real-time systems utilities, digital flight control and performance planning. Below: Ice
protection for the straight wing is via pneumatic boots. They are silver in color and
from a distance appear to be leading-edge bleed air devices.
behind G1000, the transition to the jet
world is pretty straightforward. Prodigy
improves upon the basic G1000 functionality (though “basic” is not an apt
description for it in any way) by adding checklists (a huge help for the single
pilot), synoptics (when there’s an abnormal condition, these make it a cinch to
find the issue), and digital flight control. I’d like to see an in-machine utility for calculating V-speeds, something
other entry-level jets have, and weight
and balance, though Embraer does offer
a remarkably capable preflight iPad app,
iPreflight by APG, that does these chores
and much more. The bottom line for
Prodigy, though, is that it is a remarkably
powerful integrated avionics system
that gives the pilot a wealth of tools for
managing and controlling the flight.
On the ramp the 100 is in my opinion one of the coolest-looking small
jets on the planet. It is strong, powerful and mean-looking. It’s a Maserati
that seats up to eight and goes better than 400 mph. The airstair door
is the best in its class, and with onehanded operation, no particular loading
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restrictions (a couple of people can be
climbing on it at the same time) and a
gorgeous high-tech look and feel, the
door says “big jet” and not “VLJ.”
The straight wing of the 100 separates it from its larger light jet sibling,
the Phenom 300, though its tall T-tail,
fuselage-mounted engines and apparent heated wing all look like the stuff
of midsize jets.
The hot wing is, of course, a nicely
executed illusion. The Phenom 100
makes use of deicing boots. Embraer
has gone with silver-color boots, however, to give the airplane the look of a
bleed-air heated leading edge. In my
book, it’s a total affectation, one that I
can’t help but love with just a twinge of
guilt. The electrically heated windscreen
is bordered by a metal frame affixed by
numerous screws. In addition to looking cool, the frame can be removed
in short order, allowing mechanics to
replace the windscreen in the course of
a couple of hours, since no panels need
to be removed to do the job. It’s just
one of the many service-first design
features of the 100.
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7. Another noteworthy feature of the
Phenom 100 is the trailing link main
landing gear, designed to be tough
and to make touchdowns predictably
smooth even for new jet flyers.
Embraer didn’t build the Phenom
100 to be a commercial machine, but
it soon discovered that if you build
something airline tough and cost effective to operate, the commercial operators will beat a path to your ramp.
The one thing these operators have
been asking for is more seating, a tall
order on a small jet. Embraer, however, figured out a way to do it, adding one side-facing seat in place of the
wardrobe that you see when you first
enter the airplane and another by making the potty a belted seat approved
for takeoff and landing. The lavatory
is the best in its class as well. With a
hard-side pocket door, the lav, again,
is something that you wouldn’t have
found on an entry-level airplane.
The result of the additional seating is, remarkably, an eight-seat entrylevel jet. Eight is a lot of occupants to
have in the 100, to be sure, but the
charter operators who asked for the
upgrade say that it’s rare for all of the
folks in back to be adults. Embraer did
increase the zero fuel weight substantially, by 1,320 pounds, to allow the jet
to dispatch when all the seats are full.
Another change sure to be popular
is an option to upgrade the seats in the
club seating area with more comfortable
and more configurable seats based very
closely on those in the Phenom 300.
The replacement option is for all four
seats — you can’t do just two of them
— with a weight increase of 60 pounds.
Something tells me that many owners
will be willing to take that hit even if
they’re not the ones sitting in the back.
Up front there are a few enhancements as well, though they’re not plainly
visible. The TCAS II software has been
upgraded to revision 7.1, a European
requirement that allows the system to
change its mind after it has issued a resolution advisory to climb or descend
if the conflicting airplane accidentally
mirrors the move of the host airplane
and climbs or descends toward it.
Another new feature is SMS text
messaging through Garmin’s Iridiumconnected satellite link, the GSR
56. The new utility, which is handled through the Prodigy MFD, does
text messaging and an SMS version of
>>> The trailing link main landing gear of the 100 is beefy while helping provide
consistently smooth touchdowns.
e-mail as well. More functions and cabin
access to the system will likely come
soon and will possibly include global
weather. These functions are available in
other, select G1000 installations.
The cockpit of the 100 is a comfortable and efficient place to do the
business of flying the airplane. The seats
are just right, with a lot of adjustability,
>>>The 100 is in my opinion
one of the coolest-looking
small jets on the planet.
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including an easy up and down adjustment. There’s no eye-height sighting aid
to help you determine the right height to
set the seat, which I’d like to see. There’s
also limited recline in the seats if they
are pushed back to the stops. The rudder pedals are easily adjustable, though,
and you can move them forward or aft
to suit your body dimensions.
One system that Embraer is working on to upgrade soon is the brake
by wire, which today requires a very
smooth touch. A software/hardware
update is in the works to make braking smoother and more efficient and
to help keep the airplane braking in a
straight line. There will even be new
rudder pedal geometry to help the
pilot get maximum pedal throw for
better stopping power. The book values for runway length will not change,
though the actual performance will
be markedly better than the already
impressive stopping power.
Starting up the 100 is remarkably
easy. There are no “gates” in the throttle
throw. You simply turn a rotary knob to
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8. >>> The power levers for the fadec Pratt & Whitney PW617F-E engines have visual
“detents” for idle though max power. The latter setting, for emergency settings
only, gives you greater than 100 percent power for a limited period for when you
really need to be able to climb.
“start” and let the system do the work
while you monitor. If there were to be
a hot or hung start, the system would
automatically take care of the engine
shutdown. It’s the way that engine
management should be: foolproof.
On a crystal clear southern California day, we headed out to give me
some stick time in the 100, an airplane
I’ve flown a couple of times before
though not recently. In the cockpit with me was Embraer’s chief pilot,
Alex Theodoro, who briefed me on the
airplane and our trip from Van Nuys,
up to 41,000 feet, north along the airways and then, eventually, back to Van
Nuys. It was a gorgeous day. The flight
promised to be a fun one.
We were pretty heavy, with three
and bags aboard and a lot of fuel. With
a maximum takeoff weight of 10,470
pounds available, we were right at
10,050 pounds, giving us the ability to
have taken a couple more adults with
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us at 200 pounds apiece plus their
light bags while still having the range
that day, based on the Prodigy’s very
handy range ring, to fly to Texas.
On the takeoff roll from 16R at
KVNY with a single notch of flaps, the
Phenom 100 accelerated quickly. Our
calculated takeoff distance that day out
of Van Nuys was right around 3,000
feet, and the rotation speed was just
over 100 knots. The 100 feels quick on
the runway, though it’s not hard to keep
it within a foot or so of the centerline.
Rotation is smooth and positive, with
no tendency to overrotate.
Just as I’d remembered, the Phenom
100 hand-flies great, with smooth, solid
and nicely harmonized responses. The
implementation of the trim is just about
right, fast enough to reassure you that
something is happening without being so
fast that you can accidentally overtrim.
The power lever on this fadec airplane is set up with visual presets, from
idle up to max cruise, then max continuous/climb power, then takeoff goaround power and, finally, maximum
power, which is essentially an emergency setting that gives you more than
100 percent rated power. There’s a bit
of a detent before you can push the
throttles there.
The Pratt & Whitney PW617F-E
turbofans put out 1,695 pounds of
thrust apiece, and they are remarkably
quiet and efficient. They seem a smart
choice for the 100, giving it a combination of good climbing ability, excellent fuel economy (rivaling turboprop
twins), decent range and best-in-class
high-speed cruise of 390 knots.
Eventually ATC cleared us up to
41,000 feet, though only after giving
us an unpublished hold on an intersection off of the Avenal VOR. We
were OK with that because it was an
absolutely smooth day at every altitude. The only bumps we felt on the
hold were when we flew through our
own wake on one lap. Then there was
the view: the Sierras, snow-capped and
blue in the distant haze, and the far
Pacific coast, shrouded in a late spring
marine layer. It was vintage southern
California scenery.
For long-range flights, Phenom 100
pilots usually fly their airplanes up
high, and you can see why. At the airplane’s ceiling of 41,000 feet, we were
indicating Mach 0.60 on a total of
around 520 pounds per hour (less than
80 gph). Nice. For faster speeds you’ll
want to drop down a lot and plan for
>>> Just as I’d remembered,
the Phenom 100 hand-flies
great, with smooth, solid and
nicely harmonized responses.
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9. cruise speeds approaching 400 knots.
On descent it was easy to keep it at
just under the barber pole, which is 275
knots, which is nice for the drive down
to 10,000 feet since you can cover a lot
of ground quickly. We used the vertical navigation utility in the Prodigy
flight deck to plan our crossing altitude of 11,000 feet on the north arrival
into Van Nuys, and the controller then
stair-stepped us down on the arrival.
On base, however, we were still at 5,000
feet, which is 2,000 feet higher than the
published segment altitude. When we
asked for lower, the controllers weren’t
rude. They just ignored us.
Oh, well, the gear and flap speeds
are high enough for it not to matter
the power to idle as you cross the numbers raises the pointy end just a bit, putting the airplane into a near ideal flare
attitude — Alex said that you might
want to flare “imperceptibly.” It’s almost
automatic. Despite my dive-bomber
approach, my landing felt just right.
I braked as smoothly as I could, but
we still wandered just a little. It’s hard
not to relax pressure, but with brake by
wire, you need to keep strong, steady
pressure. The rollout was short and pretty
straight. With a little practice, I’m sure I
could get the feel for the brakes just fine,
though it looks as though Embraer will,
with its upgrades, be taking care of
much of the hard work for me.
The Embraer 100 is no longer a
2012 Embraer
Phenom 100
> The Phenom 100 flown for this
report was the second example
assembled in the United States
at Embraer’s Melbourne, Florida,
plant. The airplane is outfitted with
the Prodigy by Garmin integrated
flight deck with dual PFDs, synthetic
vision (Garmin SVT) and a single
central MFD, integrated EICAS and
synoptics, WAAS, coupled VNAV,
electronic checklists, georeferenced
electronic terminal charts, weather
radar, central maintenance computer, SMS-based satellite communications and more.
Base price
$4.08 million
Price as tested
Engine
$4.3 million
Pratt & Whitney PW617F-E
Thrust 1,695 apiece (ISA +10 degrees C)
TBO
3,500 hrs
Passenger seats
5-7
Cabin length
11 ft
Max cabin width
5.1 ft
Max cabin height
4.9 ft
Length
42.1 ft
Height
14.3 ft
Wingspan
40.3 ft
Wing area
202 sq ft
Wing loading
51.8 lbs/sq ft
Power loading
Max ramp weight
10,516 lbs
Max takeoff weight
10,472 lbs
Basic empty weight
(includes pilot)
>>> The Pratt & Whitney PW617F-E turbofans put out 1,695 pounds of thrust
apiece and are remarkably fuel efficient. At 41,000 feet, the Phenom 100 burns
less than 80 gallons of jet-A per hour, total.
3.1 lbs/hp
7,132 lbs
Max payload
1,312 lbs
Max payload, full fuel
580 lbs
Max usable fuel
much, happily. The flap settings went
from 10 degrees to two notches of 26
degrees (there’s a difference in stick
pusher logic; there’s no shaker) and
then full flaps at 36 degrees. The flaps
are unusual in that they deploy separately on the left and right sides, a strategy that requires software monitoring to
ensure they deploy symmetrically.
Landing the 100 is straightforward.
As you descend on glideslope at Vref,
you’re naturally slightly nose-high. The
way the engines are positioned, pulling
brand-new or unknown airplane. It’s
been a good seller for Embraer, and
its dispatch reliability, which was, as
I mentioned, spotty early on, is now
simply very good and getting better.
The airplane is a wonder, a hightech entry-level rocket ship with a large,
light-filled and comfortable cabin along
with plenty of range, good speed and
a ramp presence that says in no uncertain terms that you’ve arrived … even
before you’ve lit the fires for the first
flight of the day.
2,804 lbs
Max landing weight
9,766 lbs
Ceiling
41,000 ft
8,000 foot cabin @
41,000 ft
Takeoff runway
3,125 ft
Max cruise
390 kts
Max range
(4 occupants)
1,178 nm w/ reserves
Landing runway
2,699 ft
Vmo
275 kts
Mmo
Mach 0.70
Reprinted with permission from the June 2012 issue of Flying Magazine ® Bonnier Corporation. Copyright 2012, All rights reserved.
For more information on use of this content, contact Wright’s Media at 877-652-5295.
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