Embraer Phenom 100
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Note how few switches there are in the Phenom 100 cockpit, and nearly all have an automatic position and remain there even when conducting the before takeoff checklist and at shutdown. The three big flat-glass displays of the Garmin system are identical and can be swapped into any location for maximum dispatch flexibility. The cockpit is "dark and quiet" as you can see here, meaning that during any normal operation, or at critical times such as takeoff, no annunciator lights are on and no warning tones or alerts are issued.
The entire airplane looks rugged, and it is with a design life of 35,000 hours or flight cycles, a number it would take a very active business jet flier 70 years to reach. And the design philosophy which follows the best practices that have flowed from the airline industry gives the Phenom 100 an inspection interval of 600 hours or 12 months. There are no other maintenance phases, or steps, to deal with in between, which is remarkable in any turbine business airplane. A central maintenance computer tracks and records all faults in flight. Embraer plans for the computer to actually radio link maintenance reports to its service centers while the Phenom is still in flight so the shop can prepare to replace the failed items when it lands. And in keeping with the quiet and dark cockpit philosophy, the maintenance computer does not intrude on the pilots with messages about problems that they can do nothing about in flight.
The Phenom cockpit is as roomy as any light business jet and more spacious than some. The crew seats are comfortable with a good range of adjustments. The instrument panel is uncluttered and has only a fraction of the switches and knobs of many jets. Switches are mounted in thick, sturdy panels that are fastened to the instrument panel by quick release screws. If a switch fails, the whole subpanel it is mounted in can be replaced in a couple minutes.
The three Garmin Prodigy flat-panel displays are identical and can be swapped out with nothing more than a simple screwdriver. All of the airplane configuration data is stored outside the display panels, so any panel can plug into any spot in any Phenom. You can even dispatch with one display failed. If it is the pilot's PFD or the center MFD that fails, you simply move the display from the right side into position and takeoff with full capability.
The redundancy designed into the Prodigy system is amazing for a light jet. There is dual everything in terms of sensors, of course, but what I haven't seen before is the battery-powered emergency backup flight instrument tied into the main system. The Phenom has an all-electronic standby instrument mounted in the glareshield, which is common in larger jets, but not all light jets. The instrument contains independent electronic gyro and air data sensors to provide all necessary IFR flight instrumentation should all aircraft power somehow be lost. But what is unusual is that if the electronic gyros in the main Prodigy system fail, the information from the standby can be displayed on the main PFD. All systems allow pilots to select the remaining sensors from the other side after a failure, but this is the first I have seen that includes the standby in the backup loop.
The Phenom that I got to fly was the first production airplane that had been brought up to conformity, except that it did not have a full interior and was still instrumented for continued development. The airplane had flown about half of the 1,200 flight hours used in testing for certification. On top of that Embraer flew Phenoms for another 600 hours to test for maturity.
Because of the test equipment the airplane weighed more empty than a completed model, but with 2,200 pounds of a maximum 2,804 pounds of fuel, and four people on board, ramp weight was 10,400 pounds, close to the 10,516-pound maximum. Embraer developed the Phenom using kilograms, which are in mostly round numbers but become odd when converted to pounds. We were at Embraer's flight test center and Phenom assembly plant at Gaviao Peixoto, Brazil, where the elevation is 2,000 feet, and it was summer with an air temperature of 26° C. Despite the hot and high conditions, and near maximum weight, the required balanced field runway was just 3,036 feet. Decision speed was 103 knots, rotation at 105, and engine-out climb speed at 108 with flaps set at the first of two available takeoff settings.
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The Phenom has what Embraer calls Automatic Thrust Reserve that commands, through the engine fadec controls, an extra 5 to 7 percent thrust on the operating engine if the other one fails. This feature is typically called Automatic Power Reserve and has been used in several business jets to improve the engine-out climb gradient. If a Phenom pilot encounters an emergency with both engines operating -- wind shear, for example -- he can push the throttle levers against a soft stop and get the ATR power on both engines for up to 10 minutes with no engine damage or required inspection. This ATR feature helps bring standard day, maximum weight runway down from the predicted 3,400 feet to 3,125 feet.
After the few seconds it takes to note that the few system switches are in their "auto" position, and the single knob twist required for engine start, the only other pre-taxi checks are to push a button and make sure the few annunciator lights work, which also checks the monitors, and to conduct a stall warning stick-pusher system test. This is also a one button press.
The Prodigy system operates much like other G1000 installations, and you can load data and set frequencies using the knobs on the sides of the display, or a keyboard mounted up and ahead of the throttles. It is also possible to make graphical data entries by moving the cursor over a fix on the map. The system also has synoptic pages to show status of the systems and various doors on the airplane. A crew advisory system (CAS) shows any messages in plain language on the MFD and there is also a takeoff configuration warning system. If flaps or trim are not set for takeoff, or the parking brake is on, you get a warning if you advance the power. This is the norm on larger jets, but again, uncommon on light jets.
The Prodigy system has the array of moving maps, approach and taxi charts and satellite weather capability that we have come to expect in a modern cockpit. Garmin's synthetic vision technology (SVT) should be available in the Phenom by summer.
The Phenom 100 has brake-by-wire so when you press the pedals an electrical signal is sent to valves outside the cockpit that meter hydraulic pressure to the brakes. Some earlier brake-by-wire systems had their problems with grabbing, or chattering at taxi speeds, but the system in the Phenom works just right. When you press the pedals you are pressing against a spring, and I think the spring came right out of Embraer's airliners because it has a heavy feel for a light jet. But you will find it very easy to control the speed of the airplane smoothly the first time out. Nosewheel steering is mechanical and also natural to use the very first time. To make sharp turns, pressure on the brake and a little asymmetric power kicks the nosewheel over beyond its normal travel.
I can't describe the initial sensation of flying the Phenom 100 better than to say it feels natural. The Embraer trademark ram's horn wheel is in just the right place, the throttles are just right, and the positive nosewheel steering makes a no-swerve takeoff feel natural the very first time. The stick forces are a little higher than you may expect in a light jet, but easily handled. It takes around 30 pounds of pull to rotate, and the ailerons have a matched level of force for good harmony. I'm happy to say that the pitch trim runs quickly so a few blips of the switch under your thumb cancel any stick force during maneuvering or configuration change. The flight controls are entirely mechanical.
Like the other light jets the Phenom 100 is not going to blow you away with its climb rates. Initial climb at our weight and warm temperatures was around 1,200 to 1,500 fpm. The normal climb speed is 200 knots indicated, which helps the airplane fit in with other jet traffic, and at that speed we climbed unrestricted to 24,000 feet in 17 minutes despite air temperatures 14° C above standard. The Phenom does not have detents in its throttle quadrant to feel for power settings but instead has bold white lines on the levers that you match to marks on the quadrant. So, after takeoff and acceleration, you move the levers back so the lines match the maximum continuous/climb mark and leave them there. The fadec computers make all adjustments and synchronize the N1 fan speeds perfectly. All engine and system information is displayed on the MFD with colors used to alert to any abnormality. When things are normal, all is green on the display, and the system is quiet.
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