General Aviation: An Inside Look at EMBRAER’S PHENOM

Less than six months after Embraer launched the Phenom 100 very light jet and the Phenom 300 light jet, they had hundreds of firm orders for aircraftthat wouldn’t enter service for another two years (mid-2008 and mid-2009,respectively). But with this relatively new market and a growing line of products, how will Embraer support its VLJ customers?

You meant to book that flight for the holidays. You waited too long and are paying for it because your options are limited. In a few years, you may be able to call an executive jet to fly you to your destination and you’ll pay the same amount for booking so late ($1 to $3 per mile). But, with the jet, you’ll skip checking in at the airport and will fly in luxury. The emerging light and very light jet market is gaining speed and current costs to fly are high, but are paving the way for innovative design, avionics and manufacturing. Adam Aircraft, Cessna and Eclipse Aviation entered the high-tech airway with their very light jets and now Embraer has joined the movement with its Phenom 100.

Background

The distinctive advantages of these jets are the quiet interior and the smooth ride due to the high altitude they reach. The Phenom 100 very light and 300 light jets have a BMW-designed cabin with generous windows, a pilot-friendly cockpit and a Pratt & Whitney Canada engine that contributes to a projected unmatched range, high-speed cruise and MMO, among its competitors.

Embraer’s nearly 40 years of experience in designing, manufacturing and providing customer service to a worldwide aircraft market positions it well to extend its portfolio of executive jets, which began with the 2001 debut of the Legacy 600. There are currently 93 Legacy’s flying in 19 countries. "Customers are happy and selling is based on word of mouth," stated Marco Túlio Pellegrini, VP of market intelligence for Embraer. The first Legacy was delivered in 2002 and some are flying 130-140 hours a month, a 30-hour bump up from competitive jets. Any technical "bugs" were worked out during the life of the parent model, the Embraer ERJ135, a commercial jet from which the Legacy is derived. To ensure immediate care, 13-authorized, fully operational centers were added to the Embraer-owned Legacy service centers network in 2007. (See sidebar page 28).

Manufacturing

The making of the Phenom jets marks a milestone for Embraer because this is the first time Embraer designed an executive aircraft from scratch. Several market surveys were conducted and advisory boards were consulted on how to improve the design. Embraer decided that aluminum, instead of carbon fiber, was the best proposal for this size aircraft. The Phenom 100 is designed for 35,000 cycles and the 300 for 28,000 cycles, which equates to 1,500 – 2,000 cycles a year. Using conventional manufacturing, the majority of the craft is aluminum. Most of the structural components are produced in-house.

The Fuselage has Embraer’s OvalLite cross-section and is structurally optimized for minimum weight and for maximum comfort. Fuselage skin will be aluminum-clad sheets chemically milled. Machined frames will be used in the wings, pylons and vertical stabilizer attachments. The wings will be made of aluminum and will accommodate integral wing tanks. Main landing gear will also be retracted in the wings. Vertical and horizontal empennage will be carbon-epoxy laminate pieces structurally reinforced with aluminum.

Engines and Specs

"A great majority suggested P&WC is the best engine due to economics, reliability and outstanding reputation," said Pellegrini. P&WC put the Phenom 100 through its paces in October 2006. "The four-hour maiden flight achieved 20,000 feet and included a number of tests to assess the engine capabilities. Subsequent flights characterized the engine up to 41,000 ft," said Dan Breitman, VP of turbofan development for P&WC. "The engine performed flawlessly and exceeded our expectations." The maiden flight was on P&WC’s Boeing 720 flying test-bed.

P&WC developed the PW600 engine family for the emerging very light jet market. The engines feature a recently patented compressor that offers a simplified mechanical design and a reduced part count. They also incorporate cutting-edge, dual-channel Full Authority Digital Electronic Control. The PW600 turbofan engines are assembled and tested in P&WC’s facility, which is housed in their main manufacturing plant in Longueuil, Quebec. This family is already powering the Cessna Mustang and the Eclipse 500.

Two P&WC PW617F engines power the Phenom 100, each with 1,615 lb of thrust. The jet, with four occupants onboard, will have a range of 1,160 nm with NBAA IFR reserves (35 minutes and 100 nm alternate); or 1,320 nm with NBAA VFR reserves (45 minutes). The Phenom 100 can be configured to carry four passengers in a typical biz jet configuration and can fly at 41,000 ft. The aircraft maximum operating speed is 380 ktas, MMO is Mach 0.70, requiring 3,400 ft for takeoff. Customers hope to be able to fly nonstop from New York to Miami or Los Angeles to Vancouver at a lower cost than competitive aircraft. The price of the jet is competitive too; $2.85 million USD, based on January 2005 economic conditions.

The Phenom 300 jet can accommodate nine occupants and a lot of luggage (76 cu ft of baggage capacity). Two P&WC engines also power this jet, the PW535E engine, each with 3,200 pd of thrust. With six occupants onboard, the Phenom 300 has a range of 1,800 nm with NBAA IFR reserves, 35 minutes and 100 nm alternate. It can fly at 45,000 ft. The maximum operating speed is 450 ktas, MMO is Mach 0.78, requiring 3,700 ft for takeoff. Customers of this jet hope to fly nonstop from New York to Denver or the Dominican Republic and it is priced at $6.65 million USD, based on January 2005 economic conditions. The PW500 engines are in operation in 48 countries with more than 560 operators and have accumulated more than 3.5 million operating hours.

Electronics and Systems

A completely digital cockpit reduces pilot workload and increases situational awareness. Embraer’s Prodigy flight deck offers operators three interchangeable 12-inch displays, two primary flight displays and one multi-function display. The system presents information in sunlight-readable color on high-definition monitors. Primary flight, navigation, communication, terrain, traffic, weather, and engine instrumentation are integrated into the system, which is based on Garmin’s 1000 avionics suite. An electronic integrated standby instruments system, maintenance computer, systems synoptic, datalink and other features provide a level of automation that eliminates some of the tasks currently required in traditional executive jets and allows full connectivity.

Training

The light and very light jet market is still in its infancy stages and pilots and mechanics require comprehensive training. Based on what they’ve learned from the Legacy, Embraer formed a global training joint venture with CAE, which will have a dedicated staff to provide entitlement and post-entitlement training for pilots, maintenance technicians and dispatcher personnel.

The initial program will be offered at CAE SimuFlit in Dallas, Texas, beginning months before the Phenom 100 enters into service in 2008 and the joint venture will expand into Western Europe in 2009 and into the eastern U.S. in 2012. One simulator will be created for every 100-150 aircraft and the simulators will include approach parameters for smaller airfields. The coursework will be developed by both companies and will include Level-D full-flight simulator sessions and combine CAE Simfinity technology and devices into the program. Training will be a blend of computer-based and instructor-led. Course content will be tailored to pilot’s specific needs, identified at the beginning of the process through tests, interviews and curriculum evaluation.

Embraer will incorporate an enhanced version of its maintenance tracking and planning service that is tailored for all certified executive jets. This service enables customers to gain secure access and updating capabilities to their aircraft maintenance plan through the Internet. Embraer employs a team of specialists who monitor maintenance profiles and develop customized work packages for each aircraft.

Customer Service and Support

"Embraer is committed to be the single point of contact to simplify customer operation," said Guilherme Milone, Embraer’s senior manager, customer services development. "Eight authorized and three Embraer-owned service centers across the U.S. will be available to Phenom owners. There will also be six centers in Europe, which are a combination of Embraer-owned and authorized centers."

These service centers will be able to perform scheduled and unscheduled maintenance tasks, according to its certification level. For those locations where Embraer service is not available, customers will contact Embraer, which will work remotely with parts and labor to put the jet back into service.

The Legacy 600 came with an Executive Care support program that will be extended to include the Phenom 100 and Phenom 300 jets. The program will be tailored for Phenom customers and will be available when the jets enter service. The Embraer Executive Care program will assist customers with airframe management, engine maintenance and will cover the execution of all aspects of maintenance tasks, service center reservations and parts procurement. It is a comprehensive program, offering both scheduled and unscheduled airframe labor, parts and freight for service bulletins and airworthiness directives, and engine coverage. Additional options are available, tailored to customer’s needs, such as onsite parts inventory and dedicated maintenance teams. Customers have the flexibility of selecting varying levels of care and even optional coverage, such as an airframe mobile rescue team and engine life limited parts. The cost is predictable monthly payments, based on projected flight hours and the operational profile of each customer.

The company signed a contract with Flightdocs for technical and technological support. The pilot uses Flightdocs to troubleshoot and Flightdocs sends all the fresh information to Embraer’s computers, where it will be processed on the ground and made available to the operator. For example, if a pilot receives a message on the CNC, that message is immediately downloaded through an iridium network and responded to instantaneously because the transmission is conducted via satellite. This troubleshooting tool is still in development and Embraer is working on upgrades and improvements. Flightdocs services more than 1,600 aircraft worldwide and is based at MacArthur Airport in Long Island, N.Y. The bottom line for this technology is less human interference and a lot of automation, both of which are strong selling tools.

UPS Supply Chain Solutions, a division of UPS, was selected to perform dedicated service parts logistics and shipping services to support the Phenom fleets in North America and the Caribbean. Embraer’s main distribution center for their spare parts is in Louisville, Ky. where UPS has their largest air cargo hub. This hub will maintain a complete stock of repairable, expendable and structural parts for Phenom jets. Embraer will also stock critical parts throughout the U.S. at its 13 authorized and Embraer-owned service centers and at its existing distribution center in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. It seems that Embraer is really overspending in stock so that there aren’t any issues with parts support.

"Our aircraft is designed for reliability and availability, which makes maintenance that much easier. Embraer is committed to offer the same sophisticated and reliable service that has been provided for nearly 40 years," said Milone.

The market for these executive jets is poised for success in the 21st century. Use of VLJs in the aviation field is poised to change the way American’s fly; no check-in lines, no lost baggage and the luxury of a private flight.

Legacy 600 Authorized Service Centers (13)