The 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-10,000-pound airplanes, Embraer and Cessna, both rejected the VLJ label, claiming 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 no-compromise 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.
