Embraer's Phenom 100
By Mark Huber - April 1, 2009
Until now, Cessna’s Citation Mustang “entry level” twinjet was seen as the unequivocal best of breed. While the Mustang is a fine airplane, its market dominance was not particularly difficult as every other competitor failed to gain FAA certification, slid into bankruptcy, or both. Now, however, the Mustang faces a bona fide challenger: Just three years after it was announced and only 18 months after its first flight, Embraer’s all-aluminum very light jet, the Phenom 100, received FAA certification late last year. Customer deliveries already have commenced.
At $3.18 million, the Phenom and the Mustang have virtually identical pricing and both can be flown single-pilot. But the Phenom is 50 knots faster, topping out at 390 knots, thanks to more powerful engines and a more aerodynamically efficient wing. Unlike the Mustang, this is not an airplane for a rookie jet pilot flying alone.
The 100 also weighs 1,000 pounds more than the Mustang (maximum takeoff weight). At 1,178 nautical miles, it has about the same range. It holds slightly more luggage (71 cubic feet) and has a larger, more flexible cabin. It can be configured to seat four or six, while the Mustang is limited to four. In the four-seat configuration, the Phenom also has a true aft lavatory, while the Mustang offers a flip-up padded lid over a chemical bowl aft of the pilots’ seats and opposite the entry door. A pull-out curtain provides a veneer of privacy. It’s handy, especially for pilots, but not exactly private.
For interior design on the 100, Embraer turned to BMW DesignWorksUSA in Newbury Park, Calif., an independent company owned by the famous German automaker. BMW’s Gerhard Steinle directed the project and faced the main challenge of making the 100’s four-foot-11-inch-tall and five-foot-one-inch-diameter cabin look “bigger, more comfortable and more relaxing.”
To create the illusion and an overall clean and spacious look, BMW used upscale automotive-style accents, LED lighting and single-piece sidewalls and headliners. It also employed a few visual tricks on the floor–specifically, a pair of chrome strips that run the length of the cabin into the cockpit and that “make the cabin look longer and emphasize the extended space into the cockpit,” Steinle said. The chrome continues into the cockpit and is used on the rudder pedals and the signature “ram-horn” control yokes.
The cabin side-ledges host hidden, retractable cup holders and are wide enough to hold personal electronic devices and cellphones. Storage nooks, AC power outlets, headset jackpoints, cabin lighting and temperature controls, MP3 plugs and speakers are also integrated into the side-ledge. Audio on-demand and satellite radio are available on the aircraft. There are separate cabin and cockpit temperature controls.
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