The single-pilot jet segment continues its evolution at the top end of the scale with the latest implementation of workload-reduction technology onto the flight deck. Embraer unveiled on Wednesday the coming availability of an autothrottle for the Phenom 300E light jet.
In a briefing last week with FLYING, Embraer Executive Jets president and CEO Michael Amalfitano placed the new capability firmly within the OEM’s plans for supporting the innovation pillar of its business plan.
“This technology is going to reduce pilot workload…and create an additional process of safety and reliability,” Amalfitano said. “It gives comfort to the passengers on board [as well]. It’s nice to see Embraer bring these technologies further down the family of products…and it’s going to continue to keep us ahead of the competition.
“It is another example of Embraer’s mindset of continued improvement, listening to customers’ feedback, and elevating an industry-leading product even further. Innovations like this enhance the experience and deliver even more value to operators.”
The autothrottle integrates with the Prodigy Touch suite based upon the Garmin G3000 for better aircraft performance in takeoff, climb, cruise, descent, and go-arounds. It joins features including the company’s proprietary runway overrun awareness and alerting system (ROAAS), emergency descent mode, and couple go-around functionality.
The autothrottle will first be available as an option starting in the third quarter of 2024 for production aircraft. With the announcement, Embraer will be going out to existing order holders such that each one will now have the choice to add the autothrottle. It will also be available to retrofit via service bulletin to those Phenom 300Es that have factory-installed provisions.
Phenomenal Backlog
Embraer continues to ride high on a substantial backlog for all segments of its product lineup, including the Phenom 300E, as well as the recently announced Phenom 100EX. Speaking specifically regarding the company’s strength, Amalfitano expressed that the backlog represents a balance.
“If we’ve sold out of [2025] by the end of [2023], we want to keep that… book to bill ratio at a manageable point,” he said. “We have the highest…book to bill ratio of any other OEM, which was in excess of 2 to 1. We’re trying to continue to manage that. That becomes a challenge because if we go too far out [customers will] buy used airplanes instead of new airplanes. We’re not going to give up those customers to somebody else.”
Based on the most recent figures released by the General Aviation Manufacturers Association and the company’s definition of the segment, the Phenom 300E has held the title of best-selling light jet for the past 11 years. Embraer reports that it has 700 300Es operating in the U.S.—including those for fleet customer NetJets—with more than 2 million flight hours posted.
