Summary
- Embraer is a major aerospace company known for commercial and private aviation
- Phenom 300 is a top-selling light business jet with an impressive range of up to 2,010 nautical miles.
- Phenom 300 features an advanced design, including an aluminum alloy frame and Pratt & Whitney engines.
Embraer is one of the most recognizable aerospace companies in the world. It is the third-largest aircraft producer in the world, trailing only Boeing and Airbus. The São Paulo, Brazil-based company is most known for its presence in the commercial aviation market. Previously, Embraer manufactured the Embraer Regional Jet family, also known as the ERJ. This aircraft was used as a regional airliner, as it fits between 37 and 50 passengers. Currently, Embraer manufactures both the E-Jet family and the E-Jet E2 family of aircraft. These are also regional airliners, although much larger than the ERJ family, as the smallest E-Jet fits 66 passengers, and the largest E-Jet E2 can fit 146 passengers.
Embraer also has a large presence as a defense contractor. Historically, the company has produced the EMB 111 Bandeirante and the EMB 312 Tucano. Currently, Embraer manufactures the EMB 314 Super Tucano, the C-390 Millennium, and the R-99.

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However, Embraer also has a strong presence in the private aviation market. It currently produces the Praetor 500 and Praetor 600, which were upgrades from the Legacy 450 and the Legacy 500. The company’s most notable business jets, however, fall under the Phenom family of aircraft. The Phenom 100 is a very light business jet with over 400 currently in service. The Phenom 300, a light business jet, has over 700 in operation. This aircraft has been the world’s best-selling light business jet for the last twelve years. In 2023, the Phenom 300 also became the most-used private jet in the United States. It narrowly beat out the Cessna Citation Excel and broke the Citation Excel’s streak of 15 consecutive years as the most-used private jet. Let’s take a closer look at this unique business jet and, more specifically, how far this aircraft can fly.
Brief history of the Phenom 300
Embraer began developing the Phenom 300 in the early 2000s. While in the process of developing the smaller Phenom 100, market research concluded that there may be a market for a larger version of this business jet. Initially, Embraer just wanted to stretch the fuselage of the Phenom 100. However, after the early design process, Embraer decided to treat the development of the aircraft as a clean-sheet design.
Photo: Nicholas Air
The program was officially launched in 2004. The first Phenom 300 conducted its maiden flight in April 2008, which launched the flight testing process. Over 1,400 hours of flight tests were flown during this process. However, in December 2009, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) awarded Embraer the Phenom 300 type certificate and deliveries of the aircraft began that same month.
Since then, Embraer has launched an upgraded variant of the Phenom 300. This variant is designated as the Phenom 300E and was introduced in January 2020. This aircraft included changes that increased its top speed and increased its maximum range. It was officially certified by the FAA, the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), and Brazil’s National Civil Aviation Agency (ANCA) in March 2020.
Notable design features
As previously mentioned, the Phenom 300 was initially meant to be a lengthened version of the Phenom 100. However, Embraer decided to move forward with the project as a clean-sheet design. Embraer opted for an airframe structure comprised of mostly aluminum alloys and composite materials. This structure is stronger than what was used on the Phenom 100, which allows the aircraft to reach higher altitudes.
The Phenom 300 utilizes two Pratt & Whitney Canada PW535E turbofan engines. These provide nearly 3,500 pounds of thrust each. The aircraft utilizes anti-skid brakes instead of thrust reversers. The Phenom 300 also uses a larger horizontal stabilizer in a T-tail configuration. This stabilizer allows the pilots to set various trim positions based on the runway from which the aircraft is departing. Other flight controls are operated by electrical actuation.
Photo: vvg42 | Shutterstock
Inside the aircraft, the Phenom 300 can fit up to ten passengers. However, this requires one passenger to sit in the cockpit and one passenger to sit in the belted lavatory. A typical configuration fits eight passengers. The cabin has the following dimensions:
- Cabin length: 17.2 feet
- Cabin width: 5.1 feet
- Cabin height: 4.9 feet
Inside the cockpit, the aircraft is fitted with the Embraer Prodigy Touch avionics system. This system, which is based on the Garmin G3000 system, uses three large displays and a traditional yoke system. This avionics suite also utilizes a synthetic vision system and a runway overrun awareness and alerting system.
Range and other performance specifications
One of the Phenom 300’s most significant features is its long range. The aircraft can reach a maximum range of 2,010 nautical miles (2,313 miles). This is one of the furthest ranges in the light business jet class, although the Pilatus PC-24 can reach just 30 nautical miles (35 miles) more.
Beyond the aircraft’s impressive range, the Phenom 300 has the following performance measures.
Length |
51 feet four inches |
---|---|
Height |
16 feet nine inches |
Wingspan |
52 feet two inches |
Maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) |
18,550 pounds |
Maximum speed |
515 knots (590 miles per hour) |
Cruise speed |
464 knots (534 miles per hour) |
Flight ceiling |
45,000 feet |
The Phenom 300 also achieves impressive performance measures while maintaining the ability to land and take off on shorter runways. The aircraft can take off on runways that are just 3,210 feet long and land on runways that are just 2,210 feet long. The Phenom 300 is also certified for steep approaches, meaning it can land on runways for small commuter airports.