Embraer Phenom 100
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The airplane flown for this report was the first production unit and was used extensively in flight test development. Its aerodynamics, systems and avionics status conformed to the Phenoms being delivered. All performance data here is from the airplane manual and reflects standard day conditions at sea level, unless noted. Weights are for a typical airplane in standard configuration.
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The air temperature remained about 15° C above standard as we reached 30,000 feet in 25 minutes, and transitioned to Mach .55 for climb speed. It took 34 minutes from liftoff to level at FL 350 after burning 625 pounds of fuel. The air temp was still way above standard but at maximum cruise power the Phenom accelerated to Mach .61 for a true airspeed of 360 knots burning 704 pph of fuel. At standard air temperature Embraer shows about 380 knots true at that level with, of course, more fuel flow, and that seems to be accurate, though there was no standard temperature air available that day to check. To achieve the maximum range we would have needed to continue the climb to FL 410 where fuel flow would have been about 200 pph less.
I also tried the long-range cruise power setting at FL 350, which brought cruise speed down to 338 knots true with 661 pph fuel flow. The specific range -- nautical mile per pound of fuel per hour -- was exactly the same at 0.511 at both power settings. The Phenom 100 wing is obviously so low in drag at its design airspeeds that there will be little or no incentive to cruise a reduced thrust.
The Garmin Prodigy system has a new feature, cruise speed control (CSC). When engaged CSC will command the engine fadecs within an operating range to hold the selected cruise speed as fuel weight burns off, or air temperatures change. Garmin and Embraer are working to expand this capability and hope, at some point in the future, to have an approach speed hold mode. Such a system would be like an autothrottle, but would operate during final approach and automatically maintain VREF or a higher speed if turbulence, wind or ATC require. This would be another first in light jets.
The Phenom is very stable at high-cruise altitude with wide margins for turbulence or maneuvering. I rolled the airplane into a 60-degree bank and pulled hard until the G-meter in the test equipment topped 2 Gs, and there was no buffet or other complaint from the airplane. The Phenom does not have speedbrakes so the drill for an emergency descent is to extend the landing gear and accelerate to the Mach and then airspeed red lines. I didn't try this maneuver, but with power at idle and the nose down to reach red line airspeed the descent rate was about 7,000 fpm, so I'm sure the drag of the landing gear would easily increase the descent to more than 10,000 fpm.
Down at 15,000 feet I tried level, steep turns and other maneuvering and the Phenom response is predictable and easy to control. The airplane, like most larger jets, has a stall barrier system to prevent an actual aerodynamic stall. As the stalling angle of attack is approached the airspeed indicator changes color, flashes and a voice calls "stall." If you continue to increase the alpha a stick pusher automatically activates, lowering the nose before the aerodynamic stall. Unlike some pushers that shove the nose way down, the one in the Phenom leaves you with a natural looking stall recovery attitude so you can add power and raise the nose for a very small loss of altitude.
Stick pushers add some weight, cost and complexity, and increase runway requirements at least a little because they must always function ahead of the actual stall, and stall speed is the basis for takeoff and landing calculations. However, a pusher is a good thing when testing for flight in icing because it prevents the actual stall. The Phenom has silver pneumatic boots on the wings and horizontal tail for ice removal and the ice that remains after boot activation, or accumulates between the automatic inflation cycles, could cause problems at the stall. But with a pusher, that's not an issue.
The Phenom 100 is a delight to fly in the terminal area. Flap and gear extension speeds are high so the airplane fits in well with other jet traffic. The Pratt engines are very responsive so speed control is easy. VREF final approach speeds are close to 100 knots, but to long runways at busy airports you can fly faster without a lot of float over the runway. And on approach the Phenom is in a very natural attitude that requires nothing more than bringing the power to idle and very slightly raising the nose to make a great landing on the long stroke trailing-link gear.
On my last landing in the airplane I went for a maximum effort stop. I cut the power a little higher for a firmer touchdown, and with maximum braking, which takes a very strong push on the pedals, the Phenom stopped in under 1,500 ground roll. The antiskid brake logic is very aggressive but I had no difficulty maintaining the center line as the system cycled the brakes to prevent wheel lock.
During one takeoff Embraer test pilot Clodoaldo Matias de Oliveira cut the right engine at V1 decision speed. The rudder is so effective and the force so manageable that I actually pushed the slip-skid indicator out the right side with too much left rudder. The wings stayed level with no aileron input, and the traffic pattern trip and engine-out approach and landing felt totally natural, like I had been flying the airplane for years instead of a couple hours.
Though I didn't have a chance to fly a Phenom with complete interior, I did spend time in an airplane just being readied for delivery and the cabin is impressive. The materials and quality of workmanship is first rate, and there are many comfort and convenience features developed by BMW Designworks that created the cabin design. The environmental system is divided in two with separate temperature controls for both cockpit and cabin. And the potty in the aft of the cabin is both usable in size and private.
Another comfort feature of the Phenom -- and this is a psychological comfort -- are the big cabin windows. The area of each cabin window is larger than other light jets, and even bigger than those in many midsize jets. The windows are mounted above the center of the fuselage so you can see out without bending, and the available natural light greatly adds to the sensation of space and comfort. Even the potty has a window on each side.
Though Embraer has enjoyed success in the airline market, supporting light business jets is a different mission, and the company has made that its number one goal. Embraer has three factory-owned service centers in Florida, Connecticut and Arizona up and working, and eight other major independent jet service centers authorized to do maintenance. There are also several international service centers, and the company offers fixed by the hour maintenance cost plans for the entire airplane, and Pratt & Whitney does the same for the engines. Training is at CAE in Dallas through a simulator program owned jointly by Embraer and CAE. Embraer feels so strongly about training that it has invested in the program rather than simply authorizing CAE.
Embraer has more than 800 orders for the Phenom 100 and the larger 300 model that is now in flight test and expected to be delivered late this year. The company doesn't break out order numbers for each model, but says the backlog for the 100 is around four years. The production schedule for 100s this year is 125 airplanes, but that all depends, of course, on the state of the global economy. All of the Phenom 100s until the fall of this year are destined for U.S. customers.
Many airplanes over the years have been called mini airliners, or personal airliners, but the Phenom 100 comes closest to that description yet. The simplified systems and operation, the long maintenance interval with ease of repair design, and the robust construction of the airplane are all lessons learned by Embraer out on the line. But the Phenom 100 also has the right size, performance and cost to compete head on with other light jets. Embraer is a high-tech company using the latest computer design and manufacturing tools, and it has brought all of those resources to bear on the creation of the Phenom, and the several more business jet models it now has in development. I think the airline experience it brings to its business jets will help make all business flying better.
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