Embraer Phenom 100

much friendlier Phenom 300's. Now brake pressures are more linear, and braking is much more conventional in feel. The brake fix is available free of charge as a retrofit item. The current BCD fix is the fifth iter- ation, and everyone appears to be happy with the fix. - ~.. " .•--.--~_ '''f ~ '/I \ . '/ . \ I \, ---'..----:- /----'.,,---\,-.--' , / ••• _ •• ~ -"I!I - ~.........., ',"",;""-- .. . ~'-"""-----'" IIL- • '- ----- -... PHENOM 100 DEVELOPMENTS First half 2009 Second half 2009 First half 2010 Second half 2010 I First half 2011 • Lavatory rigid • TCAS I • Enhanced takeoff • Belted toilet door • Synthetic vision performance (additional • New armrest • New pax seat system reserve thrust • AHEAD (Aircraft • Electronic • Improved to improve field Health Analysis checklist synoptic pages performance and Diagnosis) • Automatic • TCAS II reversion to • TAWS A electronic standby • Radio altimeter Second half 2011 • Side-facing seat • SMS and email functionality • TCAS II 7.1 Then there were the "brake fail" annun- ciations. Usually, these happened because the system was extra-sensitive, and designed to sample voltage and pressure spikes and other anomalies so frequently- as often as 60 times per second-that minor transient fluctuations fooled the system into thinking that the brakes had truly failed. The drill was to pull the flap circuit breaker to reset the system and clear any faults,wait, then push it back in. Usually, the message went away.The new BCU has so far solved the problem. Another software-related issue had to do with the flap system. The system assumes that after shutdown the flaps would be put in the full up position. If the flap handle was moved to a flaps- down position while the airplane was depowered, pilots would get a "flap fail" message when they next turned on the battery masters. The Phenom flap sys- tem computer is always looking for signs of flap asymmetry, and powering up with flaps down would trigger a false alarm. A new flap control unit was developed and installed in the entire fleet by mid-2011, and the problem went away. The aft-cabin cooling fans were too loud, so a redesign that halved the fan speed dialed down the noise. Early phenom 100 bleed air pressure- regulating and shutoff valves (PRSOVs) would sometimes give false messages, saying that the valves were closed when they really were open. This problem was solved by modifying the PRSOVs' electric switch monitoring system. Having only one cabin seating option grated on some customers. That the seats were too wide and didn't articulate or swivel was another issue. Now Embraer offers a side-facing forward seat opposite the cabin entry door (a $53,302 option) and a belted lavatory seat ($48,334). Together that makes for a total of eight seats. To raise payload, a 330-pound increase in maximum zero fuel weight ($15,000) also will be made available. Also, in a big move, phenom 100s will have articulating and swiveling seats starting in mid-2013; essentially, these are the seats used in the Phenom 300. Because structural changes are involved, the new seats will not be ret- rofittable to earlier Phenom 100s. ACCIDENTS. According to NTSB records, phenom 100s have been involved in just three accidents as of mid-2012. All involve braking issues, which led to runway www.aopa.org/pllot AOPA PILOT I T-21 NEW FOR 2013 will be an optional side-facing seat across from the cabin entry door (above left), as seen in a photo taken at the new Melbourne assembly facility. The 1,695 Ibst Pratt & Whitney PW617 engines (above right) can go to 1,820 Ibst under its automatic power reserve (APR) mode in emergencies such as an engine failure after takeoff. overruns. A September 10, 2010, accident at Brenham Municipal Airport in Brenham, Texas, happened after the pilot received a "brake fail" warning after a takeoff from Tucson, Arizona. During the landing at Brenham Municipal the pilot reported "zero braking," applied the emergency brake, blew both tires, and then ran 'offthe side of the runway. No one was injured. During a landing at the Sedona, Arizona, airport on May 25, 2011,a Phenom 100 ran offthe end of Runway 21,which has a down- hill slope; hit a fence; and went down an embankment. Witnesses saw the airplane fishtailing at high speed as it went down the runway. Two on board received serious inju- ries, but three others were uninjured. On February 3, 2012,an "anti-skid brake failure" during a landing roll at the Campo Grande, Brazil, airport caused a Phenom 100's tire to rupture, but the pilot and two passengers were not injured. PILOT FEEDBACK. So much for the bad news-which is not bad at all in the grand scheme of things. Especially when you consider that Embraer has a warranty that covers everything-even brakes, tires, and scheduled and unscheduled maintenance- for five years. Add Pratt & Whitney's Eagle Service Plan (ESP) engine warranty plan, and you're covered for everything that wears out or breaks. T-22 I AOPA PILOT November 2012 Owners love the airplane. Dr. Michael Alper of Boston says that his Phenom 100 is comfortable and quiet and that Embraer's support has been "unbe- lievable." He uses his airplane to fly for business and pleasure, mostly across New England and to Canada and back. "I always wanted a jet," he said. "And this one's been phenomenal, pun intended. Yes, there have been growing pains, but Embraer always covered the expenses." Jay Obernolte keeps his Phenom 100 at the BigBear airport in Southern California. "It's a fantastic airplane," he said. "It doesn't look like an entry-level jet. It looks like a real jet, and I catch myself looking back at it before I close the hangar doors." Obernolte plans for 360 knots when flying near the airplane's maximum operating altitude ofFL41O, but says he can get 390 knots when flying in the low thirties. "It's a great weather airplane, too," Obernolte said. "It's good in ice, and that small wing handles turbulence very well. It's also easy to land. "If there are any shortcomings I'd say it was the airplane's contaminated-runway performance. Without any speed brakes;, spoilers, or reverse thrust, stopping dis- tances are really dramatically lengthened. Payload/range trade-off is another issue. With full fuel I only have 600 pounds of useful load; with the cabin full, I can only fly an hour. But that's a light-jet thing anyway. All light jets have compromised payload." Dr. Tiron Pechet of Bedford, Massachusetts, said, "What's not to like about the airplane? It's a joy to fly and it's nearly impossible to make anything less than perfect landings. It's well set up for workload is down. Now I can devote my attention to situational awareness and planning ahead. "Embraer's approach to maintenance took some getting used to. With the Citation I had a guy who did my radios, another guy for the engines, and so on. With Embraer I have a single point of con- Embraer's background making airliners has driven its business-jet design, manufac- turing, and maintenance philosophies. This approach, and the string of improvements over the years, have built customer loyalty. Soon, the tradition will be extended with the introduction of Embraer's Legacy 500 and Legacy 450 midsize and "mid-light" "What's not to like about the airplane? It's ajoy to :flyand it's nearly impossible to make anything less than perfect landings." single-pilot flying, although you have to develop a different way of thinking about pilot workload. "By tha~ I mean it's better. Before, when I flew a Citation I was all over the panel and doing all sorts of arithmetic for descent planning, for example. With the Phenom's Prodigy panel, moving maps, and the FADEC-controlled engines, my tact. One time I landed and had three CAS [crew alerting system] annunciations. I did a download from the airplane's CMC [central maintenance computer] and sent it to Embraer service representatives in Brazil. Before I could even get a rental car, they were towing the airplane into the hangar for repairs. All the problems were fixed that evening." jets, respectively. First flight of the Legacy 500 should happen before year-end. Before long, Embraer will have a full line of business jets. If they're all as successful as the Phenom 100, and the economy's antic- ipated upswing comes about, the company is in for a good ride. AOPA EMAIL tom.horne@aopa.org