2011 Embraer Phenom 300
Marcus Adolfsson of Tampa, Florida, has owned an Embraer Phenom 300 for a little over three years. Flying what he calls the “ultimate owner-pilot plane” is the culmination of more than a decade of owning and operating cabin-class aircraft.
Summing up his aviation journey thus far, Adolfsson said, “Aviation helps to define you as a person. It is like the old jest, ‘How do you know someone is a pilot? They have already told you, right?’”
Jokes aside, he went on to explain which aspects have proved most beneficial to him.
“One – being able to do amazing family trips over the last 15 years we wouldn’t have been able to do without general aviation. Two – expanding my business by getting to the right place at the right time. Three would be networking. Once you start talking to other pilots, especially owner-operators, it’s a really good camaraderie with great networking opportunities.”
An all-white “white tail” 2011 Phenom 300 is the second Embraer product that the technology entrepreneur has owned. Prior to stepping up to the largest single-pilot bird in the Brazilian manufacturer’s fleet, Adolfsson owned and operated a Phenom 100. He flew the aircraft for several years. Prior to Phenom ownership, he owned an Eclipse 500 for nearly a decade.
In 2019, Adolfsson decided that he wanted a more capable plane. “At that point, the Phenom 300 was the only aircraft I was considering,” he recalled. “I was already in the Embraer family and liked the systems integration and the design of the aircraft. But when I left the Eclipse world, I did shop the market. I looked at Mustangs, CitationJets and the [Beechcraft] Premier, but I was attracted to the Phenom 100 because it was a modern clean-sheet design. The other planes in the segment did not have as integrated of avionics.”
Once he saw a Phenom for the first time, he was immediately impressed. The cockpit’s purposely created lines and thoughtful designs pleased Adolfsson and his attention to fine detail. His positive experiences with the Phenom 100 were not just related to aesthetics either. The ease of operations and well-integrated systems were things that Adolfsson hoped to replicate when continuing his ascent in jet ownership.
“Once I was in the Embraer family, there really was no reason to look at the Citation CJ4. That aircraft was the only reasonable competitor to the Phenom 300 for single-pilot operations. The Phenom 300 is a very simple plane to fly and it’s so automated. Even with breaks between flights since I’m not a professional pilot, I feel very comfortable getting back into the cockpit,” he explained.
“There are very few things that you as the pilot can do to screw something up from a systems perspective (such as forgetting to turn on the pitot heat or something similar). Most of the systems are automated. The only time you move a knob out of the ‘auto’ position is when the checklist calls for it. This would typically only be during an emergency. Otherwise it’s all in auto and you power on the engines and go. You can go from having a cold plane to being on the runway in a few minutes.”
Outside of being an intuitive aircraft that isn’t too demanding for an owner-operator to fly, the step-up has proved beneficial in other ways. One of the biggest reasons for Adolfsson desiring a larger aircraft was that former jets of his had key limitations.
“With the 300, for better or worse, you can always bring along more friends and not lose performance. The difference between having two people or eight people on board is five minutes on a four-hour flight.”
“What I often tell people is that the Phenom 300 is my first ‘real’ jet. Before that, my previous jets were compromised aircraft in the sense that you can either do full payload or full fuel but not both at the same time. In the Phenom 300, you can top it off and still pretty well fill the seats and luggage space and fly four or five hours with plenty of reserves. You don’t have that capability with many other light jets.”
The Phenom 300’s additional reach also increased the possibilities for Adolfsson and his family. Not only can they go further, the increased payload opened up the possibility of bringing others along for the ride.
“Previously, the average flight I took included myself and my immediate family. So, only three or four people on board. With the Phenom 100, we couldn’t take two families and go to Salt Lake City, Arizona, or even up to New York. There just wasn’t enough seating capacity or you would have to add another stop. With the 300, for better or worse, you can always bring along more friends and not lose performance. The difference between two people on board and eight people on board is five minutes on a four-hour flight.”
Adolfsson’s family and passengers love the Phenom experience for a multitude of reasons. One feature that is appreciated is the (externally serviceable) lavatory. It is nice peace of mind for all those aboard, Adolfsson contended. Especially when the Phenom’s nearly 2,000 nautical mile capable legs are stretched, it isn’t feasible to tell your passengers to “wait until we land.”
“In the Phenom 100, if someone used the toilet, you had to manually remove the tank, carry it through the cabin and find a place to empty and wash it. With the 300, it is the line guys’ job.”
He also noted other cabin amenities popular by passengers and pilot alike: “The tube size of the Phenom 300 is the same as the Phenom 100, but substantially longer. The passengers love the airstair. It looks like a much bigger plane than it is sitting on the ramp because of the airstair. Also, I have GoGo Avance L5 on the plane, so the passengers love being connected to high-speed internet in flight. That makes the time go by a lot faster.”
Adolfsson’s experience up front in the cockpit has proved positive as well. “This is the ultimate single-pilot plane. Between the massive payload, flexible CG, long range, impressive systems integration, awesome ramp presence, and Embraer’s worldwide support network, in my mind, it is the only plane that I want to own.”
Moving into the aircraft from its smaller sibling was surprisingly easy Adolfsson noted.
“Unfortunately, in the United States, they have separate type ratings. But in Brazil, they share a common type rating and perhaps elsewhere in the world. They are very similar airplanes from a systems perspective. The cockpits are almost identical, for instance.”
Adolfsson did note some differences in operations from his former aircraft. “When transitioning, one thing that you notice right away is the 55-foot wingspan of the Phenom 300. The Phenom 100 has a shorter stubby wing, similar in size to a Cirrus SR22. After a month, the plane feels normal in size and you get used to it. But I remember thinking initially I might hit something [with the bigger wingspan]. Especially when you are flying single pilot, you cannot see the right wing at all. I can’t even lean that far over to see, so you really have to build a spatial awareness of where the plane is at when moving around on the tarmac.”
For any current or prospective owners looking to better understand the various Phenom models and related topics, Adolfsson created the Phenom Pilots organization in 2020.
“The beauty of the Phenom Pilots group is that anyone can join – people researching the plane, pro-pilots, maintenance providers, owner-pilots – and it’s free to do so. In today’s age, we are competing with Facebook groups, so we can’t be charging $300 to join a forum,” he explained.
“There are hundreds of Phenom owners on the site discussing various topics, such as problems encountered with the planes, solutions to those problems, good places to travel, and other topics. We also host social get-togethers, where owners gather, have some safety seminars, and we discuss our joint flying experiences.”
Adolfsson concluded: “In addition to the website (phenompilots.org), we also have a Facebook group called Phenom Pilots. We also have an iPad app called ‘My Phenom.’ This is a full performance planner where you can do weight and balance, takeoff distance, landing distance, as well as cruise performance calculations. For those considering a Phenom 100 or 300, this is a great way to explore all the performance capabilities of the two aircraft.”