The Embraer Phenom 300 is a light business jet seating up to about ten passengers, known for its speed and range. It has been the best-selling light jet for more than a decade and is flown by NetJets, Flexjet, charter companies and private owners.
Phenom 300 at a glance
- First flight
- 2008
- Length
- 51 ft 2 in (15.6 m)
- Wingspan
- 52 ft 2 in (15.9 m)
- Engines
- 2 × Pratt & Whitney Canada PW535E turbofans
- Seats
- 6–10 passengers
- Cruise speed
- ~453–464 kt (521–534 mph)
- Service ceiling
- 45,000 ft
- Range
- ~2,000 nmi
How to recognize the Phenom 300
The Phenom 300 is a compact jet with a T-tail and a swept wing with winglets.
- Tail: a swept T-tail with the stabilizer at the top of the fin.
- Wing: swept, with small upturned winglets.
- Engines: two PW535E turbofans on the rear fuselage, close to the tail.
- Windows: large, rounded cabin windows for a jet this size.
- Nose: pointed with a smooth line into the cockpit windows.
- Size: small next to midsize and large jets, about the length of a Citation Excel.
- Altitude: often FL410 to FL450.
The Citation Excel/XLS is similar in size but has a straight wing and a lower tail. The smaller Phenom 100 (E50P) looks similar but is shorter, with fewer windows.
The Phenom 300's swept wing and winglets, short T-tail and engines tucked high against the rear fuselage give it a compact, sporty profile. The cockpit windows are large and the nose is long and pointed. From below, the wing looks big relative to the short fuselage, which helps the Phenom use shorter runways than many jets of its speed. On approach it is slower than larger bizjets, and its landing gear is short, so it sits close to the ramp on the ground.
Where and when you'll see it
NetJets (callsign EJA), Flexjet (LXJ), charter companies and private owners fly Phenom 300s throughout the US. They are especially common on short business and leisure trips, such as between the Northeast and Florida, around Texas, and in the West.
Typical cruise is FL410 to FL450. On ADS-B the type code is E55P; callsigns are often operator codes or an N-number. Some owners use privacy options, so check why some planes don't show up.
Light jets like the Phenom 300 are often used for trips of one to three hours, such as New York to Charlotte, Dallas to Austin or Los Angeles to Las Vegas, and they can use smaller airports with runways too short for larger jets. Fractional fleets reposition empty between trips, so many Phenom flights you see carry no passengers. Florida airports such as Palm Beach, Naples and Fort Lauderdale Executive get busy with them in winter.
Easily confused with
- Cessna Citation Excel / XLS: The Citation Excel has a straight wing and a lower tail.
- Cessna Citation Latitude: The Latitude is larger, with a plumper fuselage and no winglets.
Quick facts
- The Phenom 300 has been the world's most-delivered light business jet for more than a decade.
- It is certified for single-pilot operation, though professional operators usually fly with two pilots.
- Its latest version, the Phenom 300E, can reach about Mach 0.80.
Phenom 300 questions
What is the Phenom 300's type code?
The ICAO type designator for the Phenom 300 is E55P.
Can a Phenom 300 fly coast to coast?
Not usually nonstop with passengers; its range of about 2,000 nmi covers most US trips but generally requires a fuel stop coast-to-coast.
Cities where it's a regular
Charlotte · Austin · Columbus · Raleigh
Spot one live
Open the live sky tool and look for E55P in the type column, or browse the live map on airplanes.live.