Sees Light Of Day... And Soon, Light Under Its Wheels

Embraer tells ANN the Brazilian planemaker finished assembling its first Phenom 300 jet at the Gavião Peixoto plant in São Paulo, Brazil, on April 12. The rollout precedes a series of ground tests to be conducted in preparation for the jet's first flight in mid-2008. Final assembly of the second Phenom 300 has also begun at the same plant.

"We are thrilled to see the Phenom 300 become a reality," said Luís Carlos Affonso, Embraer Executive Vice President, Executive Jets. "The Phenom 300, with its premium comfort, best-in-class performance and low operating cost, will set a new standard for the Light Jet category."

"The roll-out of the first Phenom 300 is a rewarding achievement, a direct result of the unwavering commitment and relentless drive of our engineering, manufacturing and quality teams," said Henrique Langenegger, Embraer Vice President, Programs – Executive Jets. "Over 400 engineers were commissioned to the Phenom 300 program. The deployment of state-of-theart technologies enabled a paperless design process, efficient integration of over 50 suppliers, serial production tooling for the very first aircraft, and fully-digital quality assurance."

The Phenom 300 rollout occurred just 10 months after the smaller Phenom 100 was unveiled for the first time in June 2007. The first metal cut of the Phenom 300 took place in late March 2007, with wings and engines installed at the end of February 2008. March 2008 saw the first electrical power-on. The sub-sections were assembled at the Botucatu plant.

Different from the Phenom 100, the Phenom 300 went through final assembly at the Gavião Peixoto plant, where the program's test campaign will also take place. Despite a strong familial resemblance between the two aircraft, the Phenom 100 and 300 share relatively few common components, according to Embraer.

The nine-seat Phenom 300 is designed for high utilization and availability. Powered by two Pratt & Whitney Canada PW535E engines rated at 3,200 pounds of thrust each, the Phenom 300's range with six occupants will be 1,800 nautical miles (3,334 km or 2,071 miles) with NBAA IFR reserves, 35 minutes and 100 nm alternate.

The aircraft is capable of flying at 45,000 feet (13,716 meters) at a maximum operating speed of Mach 0.78 and is also designed for short-field takeoffs, while standard anti-skid brakes will aid in short-field landings.

Based on Garmin's all-glass, fully-integrated avionics suite, the Prodigy flight deck offers Phenom 300 jet operators more advantages than any other avionics suite on today's market. The cockpit features three interchangeable 12-inch displays -- two Primary Flight Displays (PFD) and one Multi-Function Display (MFD). The system integrates all primary flight, navigation, communication, terrain, traffic, weather, engine instrumentation, and crew-alerting system data and presents the composite information in brilliant, sunlight-readable color on three high-definition displays.

Expected to enter service in the second half of 2009, the Phenom 300 is priced at US$ 6.65 million, based on January 2005 economic conditions, in the baseline configuration, for FAA certification.

FMI: www.embraer.com