Business & GA
Business owner and pilot Keith Christensen is a poster child for the = bond=20 that has developed in a very short time between Embraer Phenom 100 = owners and=20 their flying machines. "I find myself trying to think of reasons to go = fly, just=20 because it's so enjoyable to operate," he says. "Our customers may soon = get=20 tired of seeing me so often."
Despite growing pains in the first 21 months of the highly automated=20 twin-engined light jet's life, including numerous brake and air = conditioner=20 failures, chronic flap problems, computer reboot resolutions and parts=20 shortages, Phenom owners have become diehard fans of their jets and the = company=20 that builds them.
Part of the attachment is ramp appeal ("My wife says it's hot," says = one=20 owner) and part is Embraer's consummate customer service and immediacy = in=20 tackling problems (although the resolutions tend to be so tediously = thorough=20 that they often take a long time to implement, says another owner). The=20 lightning-quick brand loyalty is testament to Embraer's laser focus on = gaining=20 entry into a market sector it had not contested before.
=C2=A9 = FlairJet |
Flight International has compiled an in-service report on = Embraer's=20 $3.6 million entry-level jet, polling 10 operators, owners and delivery=20 companies with a series of questions that tried to paint a picture of = the full=20 Phenom experience to date. Our results reveal a programme that has had = to mature=20 a great deal after the first aircraft was delivered in December 2008, = despite=20 Embraer devoting one early production aircraft to 600h of "maturity" = testing=20 before first delivery.
Through the resolution of many problems, some ongoing, Embraer has = shown an=20 unflagging commitment to the programme, assuring owners and operators = that any=20 and all issues will be resolved in due course. That effort appears to be = paying=20 off, as nearly everyone polled said they would gladly stay in the = Embraer family=20 on their next purchase, assuming there is ever a need to move on. Our = findings,=20 complete with responses from Embraer, are divided into six main = sections, each=20 of which delves into a specific area of the in-service experience.
Under dispatch reliability, there are also eight subsections that = detail=20 specific problem areas with the aircraft and how they have or are being = resolved=20 by the manufacturer.
DISPATCH RELIABILTY
During the first five months of this year, California-based Phenom =
100=20
operator JetSuite had a fleet-wide dispatch reliability rate of only =
90-92%,=20
according to director of maintenance Marc Nouh.
Nouh says one of JetSuite's aircraft had a dispatch reliability rate = of about=20 80% for several months. Maintenance problems were occurring so = frequently with=20 this aircraft - serial number 64 - that JetSuite staff nicknamed it = "Christine"=20 after the 1983 movie about a problematic Plymouth Fury. "It would be = easier to=20 tell you what was working than what was not," Nouh says when asked what = problems=20 JetSuite encountered with "Christine".
=C2=A9 FlairJetFlairJet has had only three AOG events, says = chief=20 executive David Fletcher |
But in recent months, dispatch reliability on this aircraft and the = entire=20 JetSuite fleet has improved significantly, says Nouh. Over the past = summer, the=20 fleet average was between 95% and 97%. "I think overall the airplanes = are doing=20 a lot better," says Nouh, adding that the teething problems are = "settling=20 down".
Nouh says after JetSuite took delivery of its first five = company-owned=20 aircraft, in the fourth quarter of 2009, reliability "started off = strong, but it=20 then fell into a black hole for four months". For "Christine", he says, = the=20 biggest and most frequent problem was with the flaps, but the aircraft = also had=20 brake and landing gear issues that kept it grounded for long periods. At = one=20 point, this aircraft was number five in an Embraer internal list of = Phenom 100s=20 with the most problems, he says.
However, another Phenom 100 charter operator, UK-based
Most individual owner-operators also report dispatch reliability well = into=20 the 90s despite meeting several of the same teething problems as their = charter=20 counterparts. The chief pilot of a Phenom 100 owned by Brazilian public=20 transport company Himalaia, Fernando Paro, says since taking his = aircraft in=20 August 2009, he has had only two AOG incidents, involving the pitot tube = and=20 sensor alert system. The pilot and co-owner of a Mexico-based Phenom = 100,=20 Armando Gonzalez, says he has not had any failure to dispatch since = taking his=20 aircraft in April 2009, although he did experience one flap failure. = Gonzalez=20 alerted Embraer's Mesa service centre of the problem after landing at = his=20 Guadalajara base and the aircraft was fixed before his next flight, two = days=20 later. "There have been issues because it's a new aircraft, but nothing = that has=20 kept it from flying," he says.
USA-based Jim and Betsy Frost, pilots and owners of the first Phenom = 100=20 delivered (and well into an around-the-world flight in N82DU) say they = have had=20 six AOG incidents caused by a failed fuel pump, a flap system failure, = trim=20 actuator control failure, starter-generator failure and two brake = failures.
Reasons for other AOGs mentioned by owner/operators include emergency = brake=20 accumulator pressure problems, de-ice issues related to the boots and = electrical=20 system, tyres and miscellaneous crew alerting system (CAS) messages. As = of 1=20 October, the Frosts had travelled more than halfway round the world = (from=20 Houston to Australia) on their 60-day tour, noting only several spurious = message=20 problems that cleared when the system was rebooted.
VALVE FAILURE
Another US owner, Ron Gruner, has had three AOGs during 250h and 120 = cycles=20 in his first year of ownership. In one case, both pressurisation valves = failed=20 during ascent through 19,000ft (5,800m), requiring an immediate descent. = Other=20 problems included failure of a yaw trim actuator, also on climb-out, and = an=20 autopilot disconnect at 41,000ft, requiring an immediate call to air = traffic=20 control to alert them that he could not comply with RVSM requirements = for=20 mandatory autopilot use.
Keith Christensen, owner of Phenom 100 serial number 63, says he has = had no=20 failures to dispatch since taking the aircraft in October 2009, although = he did=20 experience one flap failure before landing at his home base in Salt Lake = City.=20 "Embraer flew a team [here] the very same day," he says. "They replaced = a faulty=20 actuator and got me back flying within 24h."
Embraer Executive Jets vice-president of customer support and = services, Edson=20 Mallaco, says the manufacturer does not monitor dispatch reliability or = the rate=20 of AOG incidents across its business jet fleets. But he says Embraer = keeps tabs=20 on the number of field service reports generated by Phenom 100 operators = per 100=20 flights. He acknowledges that so far the number of reports per 100 = flights has=20 been higher than initially projected, but he says Embraer is confident = it will=20 meet its initial second year target of less than two reports per 100 = flights.=20 The Phenom 100 will complete its second year in service this = December.
"The trend is positive," Mallaco says. "It has reduced a lot this = year. We've=20 seen a 50% reduction compared to the beginning of this year and the = airplane is=20 maturing a lot."
Mallaco says the field service reports from operators include AOG and = non-AOG=20 issues. He says most reports are related to spurious computer messages = that are=20 typically resolved by the pilots without any maintenance intervention or = the=20 aircraft becoming grounded. "We've had very few hard failures."
Mallaco says Embraer has listed 25 items that account for 98% of = reported=20 issues. Embraer has a campaign focusing on the top items that are being=20 addressed through retrofits. He says the flap system is the most common = problem=20 area, followed by brakes and air conditioning. Pitch trim is also near = the top=20 of the list.
The Phenom 100's flap system has been dogged by problems since well = before=20 first delivery. The system features individual flap drives, eliminating = a common=20 drive shaft that would span the fuselage. The difficulty with the design = is that=20 it requires monitoring to determine whether the flaps are attempting to = deploy=20 asymmetrically, and getting the monitoring correct has been difficult. =
Along with operational flap failures issues, an airworthiness = directive=20 limits operators from deploying flaps to positions 3 and 4 due to issues = with=20 detection software that increases the stick-pusher speed based on = sensing a real=20 or false flap failure in a go-around. A new stall warning computer now = being=20 installed into the fleet will eliminate the prohibition on landing = flaps.
"There were a lot of computer-related glitches with the aircraft. = It's=20 really, really hard to build a computer with wings that isn't going to = have some=20 problems," says Ben Marcus, co-founder of JetAviva, a California-based = company=20 that provides purchase, delivery and training support to business = aircraft=20 owners. "For the flaps, the primary problem early on was that the flap = computer=20 has a logic that says 'if there's a big voltage spike, I'm going to shut = down=20 the flaps to keep them from deploying or deploying asymmetrically'. If = little=20 voltage spikes occurred, the flaps would fail and stick in current = positions.=20 This would even happen with engine start."
Marcus says Embraer has had to redesign the computer logic to open up = the=20 tolerances so that the flaps will not fail during normal engine start = when=20 voltage spikes are expected. There is a similar issue with the air = conditioning=20 system linked to a differential pressure switch in the compressor, he = says. The=20 tolerances are so tight that if the readings are just a little wrong, = the system=20 fails the compressor and you cannot reset it in flight.
=C2=A9 = JetSuite |
"Now all those things have been corrected," says Marcus, adding that = he has=20 not seen any flap or air conditioning system issues during his recent = deliveries=20 of Phenom 100s.
Nouh says on one of JetSuite's aircraft, "Christine," the flap = computer=20 failed seven times before the interim fix was implemented. On JetSuite's = other=20 aircraft, the same failure occurred once or twice, he says. Each time = the pilots=20 would get a "flap fail" message during pre-flight. The system could not = be=20 recovered and the aircraft went AOG each time because Embraer had to = send a=20 mechanic to reconfigure the flap system.
Nouh says a few months ago, a temporary solution was implemented = across the=20 JetSuite fleet to work around the flap system failure issue based on an = Embraer=20 communiqu=C3=A9. Flightcrews are now leaving flaps at setting 1 after = they land and=20 then pull the circuit breakers before shutting down. Nouh says this = effectively=20 prevents the computer that controls the flap system from going through = the flap=20 calibration check, which was causing the problem.
According to Nouh, this interim fix will be in place until Embraer = "comes out=20 with the latest and greatest flap systems computer". He expects the new = computer=20 will be available for installation on the JetSuite fleet later this = year. "It=20 hasn't been fixed yet. They initially said this computer would be = available in=20 June and now we're going to October and there's no word of the fix," = Nouh=20 says.
But Embraer says the new flap system control unit has been available = since 10=20 August. "Parts are already available and the retrofit campaign is = ongoing," it=20 says, adding: "The entire fleet is scheduled to be 100% retrofitted by=20 December."
Gonzalez says he has already received the new computer and is no = longer=20 pulling the circuit breakers after landing. Fletcher and Gonzalez both = report=20 they have had only one flap system failure to date. Fletcher says the = flaps=20 "certainly haven't given us a problem".
Operators of early Phenom 100s were also unable to extend the flaps = to the=20 number 3 and 4 positions for the first few months. Nouh says two of = JetSuite's=20 own aircraft, serial number 46 and 51, were delivered without the = capability to=20 use full flaps and JetSuite had to schedule these two aircraft away from = small=20 airfields until they were retrofitted with new stall warning computers. = Other=20 early operators, including Gonzalez and Paro, also did not initially = have access=20 to full flaps, but say this was not an issue because they do not = typically=20 operate into small runways.
Paro says he had to get by with only half flaps for the first three = to four=20 months before the retrofit was installed on his Phenom 100, serial = number 42.=20 "Now it looks like a Baron in landing," he says. "I can stop the = airplane in=20 3,000ft or less."
BRAKES
Several operators say they did not have any safety-related or AOG = issues with=20 brakes, although their pilots dislike the design and passengers dislike = how they=20 cause jerkiness when taxiing and landing. Early on, Embraer had listed = brakes as=20 its number one in-service problem, a distinction now held by the = flaps.
The brake-by-wire system, which is very advanced for a light = aircraft,=20 features brake pedals that send a signal to a brake computer system, = which then=20 provides commands to shuttle valves that regulate hydraulic pressure = sent to the=20 brakes on the main landing gear tyres. Pushback to the pilot's feet when = pushing=20 on the brakes is provided by springs, not by actual performance of the = brakes.=20 With brake-by-wire, Embraer was able to design an optimal deceleration = profile.=20 But pilots were often confused by what was perceived as too slow = deceleration=20 early in the landing roll.
Private owner Ron Gruner says owners used to joke that landing in a = Phenom=20 100 was like "Mr Toad's wild ride", an amusement at Disneyland. "The=20 brake-by-wire system was very sensitive. It would pull left and right," = he says.=20 Embraer installed a new brake controller in January that "helped = tremendously".=20 During his recent one-year maintenance event, Gruner says Embraer = installed=20 another new brake computer and shuttle valves and now he is "really = impressed"=20 with the braking performance. "In January it was adequate. I could live = with it.=20 Now the brakes are excellent."
Fletcher, who doubles as an Airbus A320 captain for Monarch Airlines, = says=20 the Phenom 100 "stops very well in my view", including in short fields = and in=20 wet conditions. He adds: "None of us have had an issue with performance, = but the=20 brakes took some getting used to and I don't particularly like it. = Brake-by-wire=20 is just not comfortable. I don't think it's good for the passengers. = It's very=20 jerky and clumsy."
To improve the passenger experience, FlairJet has given its pilots = special=20 training on how best to use the brakes. Embraer says it is "aware of = some=20 customers' opinions and comments about this system and we are in close = contact=20 with the system supplier or some possible future upgrades".
But Paro says he "never had a problem with the brakes on my airplane" = and=20 pilots just need to know how to apply them. He says some pilots start to = press=20 one pedal and not the other, although both should be pressed = simultaneously.=20 Since new control units and shuttle valves were installed a few months = ago, the=20 brakes feel even better and do not swing so much in landing, he = says.
Gonzalez agrees, saying that if the brakes are used properly, there = are no=20 major issues. Since the new control unit has been installed, there has = been less=20 jerkiness and "passengers don't feel the movement", he adds.
Nouh says some operators have reported incidences of the brakes = sticking in=20 high heat and failing, leaving the crew with no brakes on landing. He = says=20 JetSuite pilots have never encountered brake failure, but once they had = a "brake=20 fail" message flicker on and off during landing.
The US National Transportation Safety Board is investigating two = recent=20 landing incidents in the USA involving Phenom 100 pilots who had = received brake=20 failure CAS messages followed by having no brakes on landing. In both = cases,=20 pilots, as trained, resorted to the emergency brake but, ultimately, = blew out=20 the main tyres and lost directional control.
|
|
The emergency brake handle, in the centre console, pulls out = vertically and=20 can be difficult, ergonomically, to access. "It's way too sensitive," = says=20 Gruner. "You can't modulate it enough to not burn out tyres."
But Embraer's Mallaco says there have been "very few cases that were=20 determined to be brake failures" and there have so far been no failures = with the=20 emergency brakes. He says most of the brake issues have been spurious = and the=20 new brake controller unit (BCU-3) together with the new shuttle valves = "address=20 most of those".
Mallaco adds that Embraer has procedures that allow pilots to "walk = around"=20 certain spurious messages, clearing the aircraft for flight. "In most = cases, you=20 power down, power up again and the messages will clear up," he says. "In = very=20 few cases has it required a maintenance action."
AIR CONDITIONING
Another common problem area with the Phenom 100 so far is the air=20 conditioning system, although this has not been an AOG issue.
Nouh says JetSuite has had repeated issues with the fault light from = the air=20 conditioning computer software illuminating. So far, pilots have been = able to=20 reset system, he says. For some JetSuite aircraft, the computer has = needed only=20 one reset, but for others the issue has recurred every one to two = months. Nouh=20 says replacements have been promised by Embraer for some time, but are = not yet=20 available.
Pilot Bryan Elhardt says a Phenom 100 he delivered for FG Aviation = had an air=20 conditioner failure at delivery, followed by further failures. = "[Embraer]=20 replaced the entire system," he says. "It had to be replaced three more = times=20 over the course of the next three months until it performed as = advertised. Never=20 a problem after that."
PITCH TRIM
Embraer says spurious messages about the pitch trim have been another = common=20 non-AOG issue, although some owners have had more serious problems.
Nouh says JetSuite pilots have encountered pitch trim fail messages = when they=20 turn on the battery. He says this has never happened in flight and = pilots have=20 been able to resolve the problem by pulling the circuit breakers and = resetting=20 the system.
Christensen, a Salt Lake City-based owner/operator, says he had a = "pitch trim=20 fail" message one evening on departure from the Mesa service centre, an = event=20 that gave him a lasting impression of Embraer's service mentality. "I = had a=20 'pitch trim fail' message when climbing through 12,000ft," says = Christensen. "I=20 returned to the service facility, arriving a little past 5pm. [They] = called a=20 team back in to troubleshoot the problem. They worked until 9pm, well = past their=20 quitting time. The problem was solved, allowing me to continue on to = Salt Lake=20 City and keep my schedule the next day. They all acted as if it was = their=20 pleasure to help."
ENGINE
JetSuite also has encountered problems with two of the aircraft's = Pratt &=20 Whitney Canada PW617F engines.
Nouh says one of JetSuite's engines was leaking oil from delivery. = After=20 120h, the engine went for inspection by a borescope and was investigated = at=20 Pratt & Whitney's Long Beach facility, which concluded it had to be=20 replaced. The aircraft ended up being AOG for four days because it took = two days=20 to get the rental engine and two days to install it.
JetSuite also had problems with another engine this summer after the = crew=20 reported oil pressure fluctuations. The crew landed safely and after = P&W did=20 an initial investigation, it decided to remove the engine for further=20 investigation. This engine was repaired, but it took a couple of months = to=20 complete the repair. The repaired engine was reinstalled on the aircraft = in=20 September, freeing up the rental engine for other aircraft. Besides = these two=20 problems, Nouh says: "The engines have otherwise been fine. I think the = engines=20 have been performing very well."
=C2=A9 Jon=20 Ostrower/Flightglobal |
Bill Minkoff, president of JetQuik, says he has had to change one = engine on=20 his Phenom 100 because of "some premature wear" flagged by the oil = detection=20 system. Embraer says: "To this date, there were two engine replacements = on=20 customer's airplanes. P&WC maintains a pool of engines for rental = and plans=20 to increase this as the fleet grows."
Some operators also claim the fuel impending bypass switch for the = PW617F has=20 a high failure rate part. Nouh says JetSuite has changed three or four = fuel=20 impending bypass switches, but it has not yet been an AOG issue as the = fault=20 light comes on only intermittently. Embraer says it and P&WC "have = already=20 defined that the current IBI switch will be replaced with a more robust = unit -=20 the details are being finalised and the service bulletin is scheduled = for=20 release in October".
Operators have also reported issues with engine starts related to the = engine's generator control unit, which Gruner says Embraer is changing = out with=20 a system used on the Phenom 300. "A number of pilots were getting hot = starts=20 because the computer wasn't sequencing the generator correctly. I've had = a few=20 of those. You'd start an engine and instead of N1 coming up, it would = hang at=20 40%. If I shut down and try it again, it would be fine." Gruner says = that, "in=20 general", rebooting solves most problems.
PITOT
According to JetSuite's Nouh, the standby pitot has been another = "high fail=20 component", in this case causing frequent AOG events. In August alone, = JetSuite=20 had to replace the standby pitot on three aircraft, including the unit = installed=20 on "Christine".
Nouh says the heating element in the probe for the standby pitot has = been=20 breaking down and failing, resulting in the aircraft being grounded. =
The same fault has happened repeatedly, both in flight and on the = ground.=20 Nouh says the probe can be replaced the same day, assuming the part is = available=20 in the US West Coast, where JetSuite is based. But he says it takes an = extra day=20 if the part is available only at the Louisville or Fort Lauderdale = distribution=20 centre and even longer if it has to come from Brazil.
"Generally, most of the pitots come out of Fort Lauderdale or the = warehouse=20 in Louisville," says Nouh. "Lately, the pitots have been available in a = day, but=20 we've had issues where pitots have had to come from Brazil."
Paro says his aircraft also had to be grounded two to three months = after=20 delivery because of a pitot failure. But Embraer was able to dispatch a = part to=20 where he was in Brazil in only 2-3h, limiting the AOG time.
Embraer says it is analysing all reports of "standby pitot heating = fail" and=20 expects to have this issue clarified in 2010. "After conclusion of = the=20 ongoing studies, a corrective action, if applicable, will be defined," = the=20 manufacturer says.
COMPUTER
Given its high reliance on computer systems, like many new aircraft, = the=20 Phenom 100 requires "handshaking" between computers, a process managed = by the=20 Garmin-based Prodigy avionics system which continually interrogates the = various=20 subsystems, for instance the pitch trim system. Getting this process = right will=20 take time.
"One thing Embraer has learned from having several computers = handshaking is=20 that there are a lot of synchronicities where you don't quite get the = right=20 handshaking," says Gruner. "I think they'll be able to fix it on this = model. In=20 some cases, they need to tighten the specifications and in some cases = loosen=20 them."
Pilots may want to help the uninitiated get comfortable with the = idea. "In=20 general, rebooting solves most of the problems," says Gruner, "but it = makes=20 passengers uncomfortable. I tell them, 'this is a new aircraft, full of=20 computers, and sometimes the computers don't talk to each other = correctly. Don't=20 be surprised if I have to shut down and restart'."
Embraer's Mallaco says the spurious messages are due to "tight = tolerances and=20 the computers monitoring the systems". He adds: "Most of the = modifications are=20 related to fixing that. We have only a few cases of hard failures. We're = relaxing a little bit the tolerances of some monitors, including for = power off=20 and power down, where maybe the hydraulic pressure is not stable yet, or = the=20 battery voltage not stable yet. We did not expect to have these messages = when we=20 designed this system."
OTHER ISSUES
Nouh says JetSuite has had problems with windshield heat, but a = service=20 bulletin that offered a new windshield heat controller has resolved the = problem.=20 Three-quarters of JetSuite's fleet was delivered without the new = controller but=20 it has since been retrofitted, he says.
Embraer says: "The original windshield heat controller unit was = susceptible=20 to electromagnetic interference and this could interfere in its capacity = to=20 control the temperature of the windshield." It says it released a = service=20 bulletin in October 2009 to introduce a new windshield heat controller = unit and=20 more than 90% of the fleet has since been modified.
Gruner says he had to replace the aircraft's two main landing gear = tyres=20 after 90 cycles rather than the anticipated 150-200 cycles. "People=20 transitioning from lower performance aircraft to jets have to be really=20 conscious of tyre pressure," he says, adding that he may not have had = the tyres=20 at the correct 160lb pressure. "I check every time I fly now."
Embraer says others have also reported premature tyre wear, but in = most cases=20 the tyres are lasting as expected. The firm is working with the tyre=20 manufacturer to come up with improvements to increase life, and = operators have=20 been sent a recommendation to monitor air pressure. The company is = studying=20 implementing a tyre pressure monitoring system, but has not yet decided = to=20 pursue it.
Other issues reported by JetSuite included problems with the aft = baggage door=20 and the glassfibre housing unit for the holding connector, which is used = to hook=20 up to ground power. Jim Frost says they have "a small software issue = where=20 sometimes a light or two in the main cabin comes on and we cannot turn = it off",=20 a problem Embraer is investigating. Frost also says a problem with = insufficient=20 heat available to the cockpit has been fixed, while at one point in = their=20 round-the-world flight, they reported an issue with the protective clear = coating=20 peeling from the landing lights and making a "whining" noise in = flight.
Although operators are happy with the Prodigy, some have reported an = issue=20 with not being able to adjust the volume of its speaker. "The joke at an = owners=20 meeting is that when they bring it up, everyone goes 'what?'" says=20 Christensen. "We're all deaf now."
MAINTENANCE
Owners and operators polled were largely happy with post-delivery = maintenance=20 programmes purchased. The aircraft comes standard with a three-year = /1,000h=20 engine and systems factory warranty, but various airframe and engine = programmes=20 are available to broaden or extend coverage beyond the warranty = period.
For the airframe, Embraer offers standard and enhanced extended = executive=20 care (EEC) programmes, with the standard programme covering parts only = and the=20 enhanced covering parts and labour for scheduled and non-scheduled = maintenance,=20 as well as for AOG support. The enhanced EEC is priced at $140/h to = $350/h for=20 the first three years, depending on the number of hours an operator = flies per=20 year. Years four and five are more expensive at $250/h to $320/h, = depending on=20 utilisation, because the aircraft is out of factory warranty at that = point.
Engine care packages available include P&WC's ESP Gold and Gold = Lite=20 programme. For P&WC, the programme has four levels, ranging in price = from=20 $84 to $113/h per engine. "Most owner/operators are not going to own = their=20 aircraft when the first overhaul is done on the engines, so you're not = buying=20 [engine coverage] for your own benefit," says JetAviva's Marcus. = "You're=20 really buying the coverage for the next owner."
He points out that aircraft under the care programmes are considered = higher=20 pedigree and are typically the first to sell. Marcus says JetAviva = recommends=20 the ESP Gold Light programme, which provides loan engines but does not = cover=20 lifecycle fatigue items, which come into play at about 7,000h run time. =
=C2=A9 Jon Ostrower/FlightglobalEmbraer makes all Phenom 100s in Brazil but = plans an=20 assembly line in Fort = Lauderdale |
The first maintenance event for the aircraft is at one year or 600h,=20 whichever comes first. Embraer has 20 factory-owned and authorised = services=20 centres worldwide for the Phenom, including two factory-owned service = centres in=20 the USA - in Mesa, Arizona and Fort Lauderdale, Florida. A third US=20 factory-owned centre in Hartford, Connecticut will open in mid-2011. = Embraer=20 says the service centre network is a "stable" situation in North America = and=20 Europe, but South America, including Brazil, and Asia will soon see new=20 facilities. To handle demand in the USA and Europe, Embraer says it will = increase the number of mechanics at existing centres "to cope with the = growth of=20 the fleet".
Private owner Gruner has the Embraer enhanced EEC programme, but no = engine=20 package. "It's so reliable, I take my chances," he says. Christensen, = who has=20 enhanced EEC programme and ESP Gold, notes that the Mesa service centre, = where=20 all his work is performed, initially would, on occasions, have to have = parts=20 shipped in overnight, but that they have "done a lot better with that" = in the=20 past six months.
Nouh says JetSuite also has experienced frequent maintenance delays = at Mesa,=20 as well as third-party maintenance centres, because of parts not being=20 available. "We've gotten very good support, but delays usually become an = issue=20 because of parts availability," he adds.
Nouh has been particularly frustrated with not being able to get = parts that=20 are required to complete newly issued service bulletins. "Right off the = bat,=20 there are no parts available," he says. "I've never experienced that = with other=20 manufacturers."
Embraer says: "Every time an SB is issued, Embraer does have a plan = to make=20 parts available. Many times it is not feasible to have all parts = available for=20 all affected airplanes worldwide on 'day one', so a retrofit plan is = defined."=20 This plan, which is based on several factors, is sent to all Embraer = field=20 service representatives and service centres "so they can actually call = all=20 affected customers to schedule their airplanes in accordance with parts=20 availability", it says.
Fletcher says FlairJet, which, like JetSuite, has both maintenance = packages,=20 has so far been satisfied with the service received from Embraer's = service=20 centre in Paris. "We get a very quick response," he says, adding that,=20 typically, parts are shipped out within one day. "We've had good = support."
Gonzalez, who has also opted for both maintenance packages, has been = "very=20 satisfied" with the service in Mesa. "It is very fast. They've been = doing very=20 good preventative maintenance. I think we're in good hands."
Paro says when he has encountered problems with his Phenom, Embraer's = S=C3=A3o=20 Jos=C3=A9 dos Campos service centre has been able to dispatch a mechanic = within a few=20 hours. He says he has received significantly faster service in Brazil = from=20 Embraer than North American or European manufacturers. "That's the = difference=20 compared to other companies," he adds. "You can call them even at 2am or = on a=20 Saturday or Sunday. They are incredible. I haven't seen support like = that."
Marcus notes that the service centres "take after the Brazilian = mentality of=20 thoroughness and not being in a rush to complete". He says that, broadly = speaking, compared with a Cessna service centre, it takes Embraer = facilities a=20 little bit longer to return the aircraft, "but more often it's corrected = right=20 the first time".
UPGRADES
Embraer has incorporated several upgrades since the Phenom 100 = entered=20 service at the end of 2008. Some, such as the synthetic vision system = (SVS), are=20 now available as options, while others, such as newly designed cabin = seats, have=20 become standard.
The switch in seat suppliers, made in response to initial feedback = from=20 owners and operators, was one of the biggest changes made in the = programme to=20 date. After negotiating with the new seat supplier, a retrofit plan was = defined=20 by Embraer in November 2009 and the new seats have since been = incorporated into=20 the new aircraft production line.
Some operators have complained that while Embraer first promised to = install=20 the new seats when their aircraft came up for their first annual = maintenance=20 check, in many cases they have not been available in time. Nouh says = JetSuite=20 was able to retrofit one of its aircraft and "we're now pushing hard for = the=20 rest of the fleet to get swapped out so the fleet is consistent".
Fletcher says FlairJet was able to get the seats on one of its three = Phenom=20 100s swapped early because Embraer was leasing the aircraft as a = demonstrator.=20 Its third Phenom 100 was delivered in May with the new seats already = installed,=20 but Fletcher says one of its two older aircraft is still waiting for = seats.
=C2=A9 = FlairJet |
Embraer says: "Unfortunately, it was not possible in all cases to = have the=20 new seats available by the annual inspection." But overall there have = been "very=20 few deviations from the initial plan", it says, and the entire fleet is = on pace=20 to be retrofitted by the end of this year.
Operators and owners polled by Flight International generally = prefer=20 the new seat, although some complained about the design. "There are = mixed=20 reviews for those seats," says Nouh. "I don't feel 100% the new style of = the=20 seats are more comfortable. It doesn't give me enough support on the = legs and=20 feet. I'm being pushed to the aisle."
Nouh agrees the new seats provide "considerably more room" and make = it easier=20 to get in and out of the aircraft. He says despite the inferior comfort, = on the=20 whole, "the difference in the aisle is worth it from a customer = standpoint" to=20 go with the new seat.
FlairJet, however, is satisfied with the new seats, and Fletcher says = passengers appreciate the extra space. Paro says his owner is also "very = happy"=20 with the new seat, which Embraer was able to install when his aircraft = came up=20 for its first annual inspection. Gonzalez already has the new seat = installed in=20 his Phenom 100 and says he is satisfied with the design, although he = would like=20 to see Embraer offer seats that move and recline more. "They did a very = good=20 design on the new ones," he adds.
Christensen says he likes the new seats for three reasons: they have = been=20 moved outboard, giving more aisle space; the seats are softer, making = them more=20 comfortable; and arm rests have been added. "All three are positives," = he says.=20 "There were some of us early on who said the seats needed to be = modified. The=20 engineers didn't listen; then they started delivering and saw the = issue."
Some operators have complained about the $25,000 cost for SVS - the = same as a=20 retrofit or a factory option. But Gonzalez and Marcus say there is a = valid=20 reason for the pricing. "A lot of people think they're being ripped off = because=20 they own a jet," says Marcus. "That's really not it. Unfortunately, the = airframe=20 manufacturers are required to certify SVS in each type of aircraft. = That's what=20 you're paying for."
Christensen says SVS was originally over-priced at about $35,000. = "The Phenom=20 100 owners association said we'd like to have it, but it's too much = money," he=20 says. "They listened and offered SVS at $29,900. We held a meeting in = Florida=20 and 20 of us said we'd buy it if we could get for $25,000. They agreed." = Christensen has also added Jeppesen charts, an option he says cost about = $5,000,=20 and will add TCAS, a $30,700 option, in the "near future".
Nouh says JetSuite is not considering SVS, which became available = only=20 recently, but will install TCAS on its aircraft as they come up for = their=20 one-year maintenance inspections. TCAS was also not available initially, = forcing=20 operators such as JetSuite to make do the first year with Garmin's = Traffic=20 Information Service.
Private owner Gruner also will "probably pass" on SVS because he says = it is=20 too expensive for the benefits derived. Fletcher says FlairJet is also = not=20 installing SVS because "the aircraft can be flown very safely without = it".
Fletcher advises new Phenom 100 owners to go with TCAS, the upgraded=20 stairwell and the lavatory door options. He says most of the other = upgrades are=20 "nice to have, but not necessary".
Several operators, including JetSuite and Paro, say they are eager to = install=20 wi-fi on their Phenom 100s, although this is being made available from = various=20 service providers rather than Embraer. The airframer says a new option = which=20 will give operators the flexibility of "turning the toilet into a = passenger seat=20 is currently finalising certification and will be available shortly". = Embraer=20 says a cruise speed control option, for which there is already a = non-activated=20 switch on the Prodigy, will also become available in the second half of=20 2011.
PURCHASE AND DELIVERY
The purchase and delivery experience has largely been positive, but = several=20 issues have detracted from what would otherwise have been an exotic = adventure.=20
Embraer requires owners to define a variety of avionics options they = want 12=20 months before delivery, pick an interior theme nine months before = delivery and=20 define exterior layout and colours six months before. Customers then = travel to=20 Embraer's home base in S=C3=A3o Jos=C3=A9 dos Campos to take delivery, a = process that=20 should take days but sometimes takes weeks, depending on preparations. = Some=20 owners complained that Embraer gives only one month's notice for the = firm date=20 of an impending delivery.
JetAviva's Marcus says the one-year deadline for declaring a wide = array of=20 avionics and cabin options can cause "stagnation" in the process. "A lot = of=20 people who have [Phenom 100s] on order may not necessarily want to take = delivery=20 due to the economy and other factors. For those folks thinking about = selling,=20 they want to keep the specification open as long as possible."
Marcus says other manufacturers typically have less lead time. = Embraer agrees=20 that customers sometimes ask for additional time to make configuration = requests,=20 but says such cases "are evaluated on a case by case basis and sometimes = can be=20 met in a short period notice".
Customers appear to be happy with the six choices of interior layouts = and the=20 palette of external colours and striping (or the option of having the = aircraft=20 delivered in white), and special requests, although sometimes met with=20 resistance, can generally be obtained with the right help. For example,=20 Christensen says Embraer initially did not want him to select the paint = scheme=20 used on the demonstrator aircraft, with his N-number on the vertical = stabiliser,=20 rather than in the preferred location - the nacelle or tail cone. = "[Embraer]=20 told me if they put the paint on the rudder, they'd have to rebalance = it," says=20 Christensen. "One call to Ernie Edwards [vice-president of sales and = marketing=20 for Embraer North America] and the N-number and paint scheme issue was = solved=20 and the request was granted."
In its customer how-to manual, Embraer lists two companies - JetAviva = and=20 JetQuik - for helping with the purchase and delivery process. As of=20 mid-September, JetAviva had bought and sold 17 Phenom 100s and delivered = 20=20 while Tennessee-based JetQuik had delivered 17 Phenom 100s. Fletcher = says=20 UK-based FlairJet is also offering delivery services and expects to = deliver its=20 first aircraft outside its own fleet next year. Fletcher says the = delivery and=20 acceptance experience overall is "superb".
Paro, who was responsible for accepting the Phenom 100 he flies on = behalf of=20 its Brazilian owner, says the delivery "was like a walk in the park". = Mexican=20 owner Gonzalez was also impressed, saying the reception he got in Brazil = was=20 much better than he expected. "I was amazed. The company was very = helpful. The=20 service was very good," he says.
However, those operators that used Lider Signature, the company = Embraer=20 recommends to new owners in a pre-delivery presentation for providing = ground=20 support for the trip back from South America, had little praise for the=20 Signature Flight Support joint venture. Gruner, who went to Brazil with = his wife=20 to pick up his Phenom, says dealing with Lider was "the single worst = experience=20 I had in Brazil". He and other owners complained the cost Lider charges = for=20 ground handling were unreasonable. "The whole rest of the Brazil = experience was=20 absolutely perfect though," Gruner adds.
Embraer says it does not "promote or recommend" any specific service=20 provider, "although we have feedback from customers about the good = reputation=20 attributable to Lider in the same way we receive good feedback from = Jepessen and=20 others, and this is the reason why customers usually select one of = them". The=20 airframer says it is not considering paying the handling fees itself. =
For deliveries, JetAviva avoids using Lider's services by employing a = Brazilian pilot who speaks Portuguese. JetQuik's Minkoff, who uses Lider = for=20 deliveries, says the company is "very economical" to work with if you = know the=20 questions to ask. "On the first delivery, I didn't know what questions = to ask,"=20 says Minkoff. "By the tenth delivery, I had cut costs by 90%."
Embraer next year plans to open a final assembly plant for the Phenom = 100 and=20 Phenom 300 in Melbourne, Florida. Although the travel distance for North = American customers may be less to pick up an aircraft, Embraer has said = the=20 overall price of a delivery will be the same, says Minkoff.
TRAINING
Flight and maintenance training for the Phenom 100 is an evolving = endeavour,=20 but one that largely satisfies owners and operators.
Embraer offers two pilot training slots for each Phenom 100 purchased = though=20 its joint venture training programme with CAE. The Embraer-CAE Training = Services=20 (ECTS) uses three full-flight CAE 5000 series simulators, two in Dallas = and one=20 at Burgess Hill, UK. ECTS also offers maintenance training as an option = costing=20 around $15,000 each.
ECTS began technician training in August 2008, but used actual = aircraft for=20 the first nine months of training while simulators were finalised with = flight=20 data. Since starting simulator operations in September 2009, ECTS has = trained=20 more than 250 Phenom 100 and Phenom 300 pilots, says Sven Lepschy, head = of=20 training for ECTS. More than 180 maintenance technicians have also been=20 trained.
"We've trained less than we speculated, partly because we use Embraer = delivery data, and so far that deliveries haven't reached what was = expected,"=20 Lepschy says. Expansion is expected in the near future, but Lepschy says = that=20 based on current activity, a staff of 21 instructors (18 pilot trainers = and=20 three maintenance trainers) globally is adequate.
Pilot training includes initial, recurrent, single-pilot transitions = and=20 two-pilot operations training. Lepschy says 95% of pilots opt for = single-pilot=20 training. Maintainers receive training on initial airframe and = powerplant=20 operation, avionics, run-and-taxi tests and progressive and monthly = checks.=20 Training is based on a building block approach that includes ground = school and=20 practical training with three "gate checks" that verify the student is = ready to=20 move on to the next task. For pilots, the check ride in the simulator is = the=20 final practical test, following 21h of web-based training, six days of = ground=20 school and 14 days of training in all.
Based on customer feedback, Embraer and CAE continue to evolve the = programme.=20 In addition to rearranging the training modules to allow experienced = pilots to=20 skip generic information, ECTS has also integrated a bank of new Prodigy = avionics trainers. "Many of the clients were becoming frustrated with = the=20 individual procedures trainers [IPT]," says Lepschy. The touchscreen = IPTs did=20 not have the nested dials of the Garmin G1000-based Prodigy avionics = system, and=20 pilots were sometimes not able to touch the screen in the right location = to=20 "move" the dials. "We talked to Garmin and they came up with desktop = trainers,"=20 he says. "We have five [desktop trainers] here and five in the UK."
Fletcher says FlairJet also had issues with the original ECTS course, = saying=20 they focused too much on smaller European airfields rather than busy = airports in=20 London, Paris and Brussels. As a result some of the approach speeds = taught were=20 lower than what FlairJet needed. Fletcher says FlairJet had to undo some = of the=20 initial CAE training, which took eight months to change and tailor for = the=20 European operator. FlairJet also offers supplemental line training for = its=20 pilots once they complete the course at Burgess Hill.
"They clearly aimed their training at small operators where there's = no ATC=20 issue. We want to be operating like airlines," Fletcher says. = "Everything takes=20 a little time. We're now at the point we have it being done the way we = like it=20 done."
However, other operators and owners polled, including Gonzalez and = Paro, said=20 they were satisfied with the training provided ECTS and looked forward = to annual=20 trips to the simulator. The Phenom is Gonzalez's first jet and he = recalls how he=20 got his type rating on the aircraft because the simulator was not yet = available.=20 After logging 100h on his aircraft Gonzalez took the simulator course. = "I was=20 amazed. It was state of the art," he says. "I got better skills from the = simulator on braking."
Lepschy says ECTS put more focus on braking procedures after problems = were=20 reported in the field. He says Garmin synthetic vision is now installed = on the=20 desktop trainers and will be included in the simulators from January = 2011.
Lines of reporting between CAE and Embraer have also been = strengthened after=20 CAE was being made aware of changes to the aircraft or procedures = "sometimes by=20 the client", says Lepschy. "Clients would ask about things that = instructors=20 didn't know about yet," he adds. "Embraer now notifies us of intended = changes=20 before letting the public know."
Embraer says more training capability will be needed as the fleet = grows.=20 "Three simulators will not be enough," says Embraer's Mallaco. "We will = have a=20 fourth [simulator] in 2012, but we have not defined the location."
CONCLUSION
After all is said and done, the overwhelming sentiment of owners and=20 operators of Embraer's nascent light jet is a thumbs-up.
"I didn't expect as many problems as we've had but if I've raised = problems=20 they've done a good job getting back to me," Nouh says. "Overall I think = it's=20 somewhat expected for a new airplane. What's not common is the amount of = time it=20 takes for Embraer and vendors to come up with solutions and parts. But = we're at=20 the tail end of it. The aircraft are now flying a consistent amount of = hours and=20 overall the dispatch reliability is better. Going forward the airplane = should be=20 bullet proof. I hope I'm not jinxing myself."
FlairJet's Fletcher says overall the teething problems were about = what would=20 be expected for a new aircraft type. "I didn't expect these aircraft to = be=20 incident free from an MRO perspective," Fletcher says. "It wasn't = perfect but we=20 weren't blind with this. We knew there would be problems with early = serial=20 numbers."
Jim Frost says the problem of teething is relative. "Our other = aircraft have=20 all been new Beech products. They had been manufactured for many years = but we=20 bought new planes and they had all kinds of problems when they were = new," he=20 says. "Considering we bought the first light jet that Embraer had ever = built, it=20 has been great. What has been surprising is how long it takes to fix a = software=20 problem in an airplane component. The regulators have an awful lot of=20 certification hoops to jump through to release a software fix and yet = these=20 certification hoops fail to catch many bugs."
For pilots, the Phenom 100 cockpit appears to be a treat.
"We've gotten nothing but good feedback from our pilots on it," = Fletcher=20 says. "The pilots love it." He adds the cockpit is "intuitive and very, = very=20 helpful. The situational awareness is very, very high on this aircraft. = This=20 really gives you the information you need."
Christensen, with 160h in his aircraft, is especially fond of the = avionics.=20 "I still cannot believe how good the Garmin Prodigy System on this = airplane is.=20 The learning curve in the airplane is steep for someone without Garmin = G1000=20 experience. But once you are accustomed to the layout of the Prodigy = platform,=20 it is logical and efficient to use, especially from the perspective of = someone=20 flying single pilot. At this point, I have had no problems with the = avionics or=20 other systems on the airplane."
The Phenom 100 cabin has also proved to be a winning combination of = form and=20 function. Nouh says JetSuite's passengers "seem to be very pleased" and = "the=20 cabin is laid out nice and is comfortable". Fletcher says "the design=20 ergonomically is very good We have gotten nothing but positive = feedback." Gruner=20 says passengers "love the cabin, no question", and Christensen says it = is=20 "without question the best in class with large windows".
Perhaps most telling is the product loyalty established so soon after = service=20 entry. When asked if they would buy Embraer again, every operator and = owner=20 polled said they would. "I do believe the airplane is built well," Nouh = says.=20 "It has had its growing pains, but Embraer is doing a really good job. = Some=20 things have not been addressed as quickly as I would like, but in the = end things=20 are getting fixed."
Similarly, Fletcher says he thinks "most of our owners would buy = again. I=20 would. I'm a fan as well." Christensen says "without question" he would = purchase=20 another Embraer aircraft. "The product is the best value in the light = business=20 aircraft market, yet it is built for the cycles of high-use air = transports," he=20 says. "You walk up to the side of a Phenom and press on the skin with = your hand,=20 it does not flex. Now go do the same with the competition and you will = feel the=20 difference. Everything about this aircraft is the same - well built." =
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