The Embraer Phenom 100EX’s Lightness of Being

Embraer’s Phenom 100 isn’t a runaway bestseller like its larger Phenom 300 sibling, but since receiving FAA certification in 2008, the single-pilot jet has carved a niche in the very light jet (VLJ) market. The arena in which the Phenom 100 was designed to compete has changed considerably from the heady days when pundits were predicting that VLJs would dominate business aviation, and Embraer has consistently updated its entry-level jet, a move that is increasingly necessary to attract repeat and new buyers.

The latest version, the Phenom 100EX, is expected to enter service in the first quarter of this year. It squeezes more space into the cabin and cockpit and adds amenities that pilots and passengers alike will appreciate, all while reducing weight and maintaining the $4.995 million price of the previous model. The original price was $3.6 million when the Phenom 100 was certified.

Embraer delivered 404 Phenom 100s through the third quarter of 2023, according to the General Aviation Manufacturers Association. (Final numbers for that year won’t be available until February 21.) Data provider JetNet reports that 401 Phenom 100s remain active, and about three-quarters of those have multiple owners. In 2023 there were 95 Phenom 100 transactions.

In the six months before this article’s publication, 24 Phenom 100s changed hands, according to AircraftPost, and the average sale price was $2.89 million. The average time on the market was 157 days.

Many VLJs are owner-flown, but no matter who sits up front, they will appreciate that the EX offers more legroom for the pilot. (A consistent complaint by Phenom pilots has been the tight fit for taller people.) The EX also opens up access to the cockpit to make it easier for passengers to communicate with the pilot. 

New Cabin Features and Options

Embraer aficionados will be happy to see that the EX features cabin equipment and furnishings adopted from the Phenom 300E and Praetor models. Upper tech panels give passengers touch access to cabin controls and information above their seats. Embraer designers added two inches to the seat backrests as well as extra knee support and retractable armrests. When the armrests are in the stowed position, the aisle width grows by three inches, which makes for a more comfortable cabin for passengers to navigate. Tables are now flush to the wall, a common feature on larger jets that prevents loose gadgets from disappearing into sidewall gaps.

Buyers can choose from four interior color schemes and three new seat styles. Ultraleather, which is made of 50 percent renewable materials, replaces less durable sidewall veneers that were subject to scratching by passengers’ knees.

An interesting change to the EX is the removal of the two aft-most windows, which illuminated the lavatory. This makes it easy to tell the EX apart from EVs and earlier models, which feature four windows on each side instead of three.

Now standard on the EX are a belted toilet seat and a side-facing seat opposite the entry door. With the four double-club seats in the main cabin, plus the two belted seats, the 100EX can accommodate eight occupants (one pilot, seven passengers), although it’s not likely many owners will often fly at that density.

New VLJs that compete with the Phenom 100EX include the HondaJet Elite S ($6.95 million) and Cessna Citation M2 Gen2 ($5.85 million). Both the HondaJet and M2 Gen2 have received recent updates.

The M2 Gen2 can fly to a 404-knot maximum cruise speed and, at long-range cruise, can fly 1,550 nm (NBAA IFR range with a 100-nm alternate, but this assumes no passengers). The maximum altitude of the M2 Gen2 is 41,000 feet. The HondaJet can fly higher, to 43,000 feet with a maximum cruise speed of 422 knots and NBAA IFR range with four occupants of 1,223 nm. (Keep in mind that these maximum cruise speeds are achievable only at lower-than-maximum altitudes, usually in the mid-30,000s, and maximum-range trips are flown at slower speeds.) 

Long Flights at High Speed

The Phenom 100EX can fly 1,178 nm carrying four people with NBAA IFR reserves. Long-range cruise speed is about 330 knots, high-speed cruise is 406 knots, and maximum altitude is around 41,000 feet. Phenom pilots say they can fly three- to three-and-a-half-hour trips at high-speed cruise.

The Phenom 100’s cabin measures four feet, 11 inches tall with a trenched aisle and five feet one inch wide. Its slightly oval (OvalLite) shape maximizes head and legroom, and a headliner change added one inch to the height compared with the 100EV and earlier models. In contrast, the M2’s cabin is four feet, nine inches tall and four feet 10 inches wide, and it can also carry up to eight occupants when the belted toilet is used. Meanwhile, the HondaJet cabin measures four feet 10 inches high by five feet wide. Its maximum load is seven occupants, but it also offers a flushing toilet with an optional externally serviceable capability. The private aft lavatory—made possible by the extra space available in the aft fuselage due to mounting of the engines on the wings—can also be fitted with a vanity and sink.

Apart from the cabin amenities, the most significant upgrade to the 100EX is in the cockpit, which features Garmin’s touchscreen-controlled G3000 avionics suite. In addition to the extra room, the avionics boast a new feature that pilots will appreciate and that makes flying safer: the Runway Overrun Awareness and Alerting System (ROAAS). Embraer was the first business jet manufacturer to add ROAAS with the Phenom 300E, and now other airframers are following suit.

ROAAS helps prevent runway overruns, which are the third-biggest cause of business aviation incidents and accidents. ROAAS uses neural network algorithms to calculate runway distance in real-time during approach and landing. It accounts for deviations that may lead to an overrun and advises the pilot to perform a go-around or to use maximum braking action once on the runway. ROAAS bases its warnings, which are both aural and visual on the flight display, on the actual weight of the airplane by recalculating its energy state in real-time.

Another safety enhancement is the stabilized approach system, which warns of low speed, excess vertical speed during the descent, and if the pilot is making an unstable approach.

When the aircraft is in thunderstorm-prone areas, the EX’s new Garmin 3D volumetric scanning radar makes it easier for pilots to provide a smooth ride by highlighting areas of turbulence, lightning, and hail and warning of the possibility of encountering dangerous wind shear.

According to JetNet, direct operating expenses for a Phenom 100 are about $1,500 per hour, although the cost will vary depending on fuel price, maintenance needs, and crew expenses. Owners should budget about $500,000 per year for fewer than 150 hours of flying, not accounting for depreciation, JetNet figures show, although its pilot salary number seems low compared with current wage levels.

Embraer’s support for its business jets rates consistently well in the Product Support Survey at BJT’s sister publication AIN. Recently, Embraer announced plans to add three new factory-owned service centers in the U.S., bringing the total to six, along with adding 28 more mobile response teams and 24 independent authorized facilities. 

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2024 Embraer Phenom 100EX at a Glance

Price: $4.95 million (typical, depending on options)
Engines: 2 Pratt & Whitney Canada PW617F1-E
Crew: 1
Passengers: up to 7
Range: 1,178 nm (four passengers, long-range cruise, NBAA IFR reserves with 100-nm alternate)
Maximum takeoff weight: 10,472 lb
Baggage volume: 70 cu ft
Maximum cruise altitude: 41,000 ft
Maximum cruising speed: 406 kts
Takeoff distance: 3,190 ft
Landing distance: 2,430 ft
Cabin: 11 ft (L), 5 ft 1 in (W), 4 ft 11 in (H)

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Matt Thurber is editor in chief of AIN Media Group, publisher of Business Jet Traveler.