First Embraer Phenom 300 Delivered in Time for Bonus Depreciation

Following certification in mid-December, Embraer Executive Aircraft delivered the first customer Phenom 300 business jet before year end. The timing enabled Tug Hill, Inc., a Texas-based oil and gas investment firm, to qualify for bonus tax depreciation on aircraft delivered in 2009. The Phenom 300, serial number 5, replaces a Cessna Conquest I twin turboprop previously operated by Tug Hill Aviation, the privately held company's affiliated flight operation. Like the Conquest, the new jet will be managed by Executive Air Share, and may be available for charter, as well as possibly leased back to Embraer as a demonstrator. Typically configured to carry six passengers in the cabin, the Phenom 300 is considered a light jet, capable of single-pilot operation. It has a range of just under 2,000 nautical miles and Embraer's Prodigy 300 avionics suite, based on the Garmin G1000 platform. It is powered by a pair of Pratt & Whitney Canada PW535E turbofans, each rated at 3,200 pounds of thrust.