Phenom 100

This review was written when feelThere.com first released the LE Phenom 100 for FSX and FS9 in November 2011.  A SP1 was released about a month later but failed to address many of the items I felt were needed.  For many reasons the review was put on the back burner and basically forgotten for some period of time.  I read recently that a few forum followers were surprised that Avsim.com didn’t have a full-blown review of the Phenom100 and I felt a little guilty that I had put so much work into the review and not requested that it be published.

Since researching and writing about the Phenom100, I have added several similar sized twin jets to my FSX hangar. Specifically the Flight1.com Citation Mustang, the Eaglesoftdg.com Citation CJ1+ v2.0 and the JustFlight.com Bizjet 800XP.  I only mention this in passing as these four planes have enough in common to be real world competitors but not necessarily in their respective FSX editions.

The Very Light Jet (VLJ) category of aircraft was introduced as a single pilot, pocket rocket sized corporate jet.  This one is a designed from scratch, clean sheet of paper type, from Embraer that is targeted as their entry level or first jet.  It is not uncommon to see real world advertisements for partial ownership or annual leases for one of these mini jets.  Should you be in the market for a 4 -6 place private, or near private jet, that can whiz you around the country in style at FL410 at 380 knots, this one is available for your consideration.

The Phenom 100 has a comfortable range of 1,160 nautical miles and can climb to 37,000 feet in just 23 minutes.  The high speed cruise of 380 knots true airspeed trumps all close competitors.  The cockpit is all-glass, with the Prodigy™ Flight Deck 100, Graphical Flight Planning and Next generation Flight Management System with a greatly reduced number of panel switches and pre-flight checks.

All these little guys are built in the assembly plant at Gaviao Peixoto, Brazil, but that may be changing soon. The Embraer plant in Melbourne, Florida is about ready to start churning them out.

[Ed. Update] News Item - June 21, 2012, 3:56 PM

“On Monday, the FAA presented Embraer with a production certificate to assemble the Phenom 100 at its Melbourne, Fla. facility. Embraer has delivered five U.S.-assembled Phenom 100s since the first one came off the line in December. In total, the company plans to deliver 23 U.S.-assembled Phenom 100s this year. Embraer will also start production of Phenom 300s in August at the Melbourne facility, with 38 U.S.-assembled Phenom 100s and 15 Phenom 300s expected next year.”

The Phenom 100 is Embraer's first from-scratch business jet, and its design reflects what the company has learned from building its very successful ERJ regional jets and E-Jets that compete with the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320.  Each of those designs were also clean sheet starts with a specific target in mind. More about that in the AVSIM Embraer E-Jets v 2.0 review here. It appears to me that this arrow was aimed squarely at the Cessna Mustang. The result is a small jet that is attractive, flies good, has a wider cabin, more headroom, larger windows, private toilet, air stair type door, with bigger engines than the Mustang.  It climbs faster, flies faster and only costs an extra few thousand dollars or so.

I read some of the Cessna promotional material and it stressed that if you lived closer the airport where your Mustang was based then you could get in the air faster than someone with a Phenom 100 based further away.  That is really grasping for an advantage. I guess if your destination was a shorter distance than your friends flying the Phenom then you could also get there faster.  Are millionaires really that dense?

The entire normal operating checklist for the Phenom 100 fits on a laminated card that slides into your shirt pocket. While other business jets use thick spiral-bound books, the Phenom is designed to cut pilot workload to a minimum so there is more time to focus on flying while the airplane and its systems take care of themselves.

Part of the ‘let’s simplify the design’ logic was to delete the avionics master switch and the rotating beacon switch. The three big displays of the Garmin 1000 light up with a flip of the battery switches. The engine startup is pretty much just energize the two batteries and rotate one of the engine control knobs to start. When the first engine starter engages, the flashing beacon, the universal signal of engine start and operation, automatically turns on, and stays on until the last engine is shut down. The fuel pumps, generators and pressurization system simply stay in the automatic mode and checks themselves with no need for a separate test routine.  Embraer says the Phenom has 70 percent fewer actions on its checklist than traditional light jets.

The Phenom 100 is approved for single pilot flight so all this cockpit automation is even more important. Embraer says about 20 percent of the jets will be flown by their owners and many of those will be stepping up with little or no turbine experience.  One of the key design parameters was what Embraer calls the bio-range.  This is about 3 hours maximum flight time for 4 people since a potty break is problematic at best when you are cruising at Fl410. To solve that problem, a private loo was added.  Another nifty item is the FADEC will synchronize the two turbines to prevent any annoying reverberation that you sometime feel in the smaller jets.

BMW Jet

The BMW Design Works cabin has what the company calls an Oval Lite cross section with the lower half of the fuselage tube pushed out a little instead of wrapping around in a constant radius as is the norm in these small pressurized cabins. This wider lower half of the cabin means your feet rest directly in front of you instead of being pushed in toward the center by the curving fuselage wall. The design also provides a wider seat with more shoulder room so your passenger’s head will remain clear of the cabin wall.  The almost 5 feet of headroom is more than both of its Citation competitors and even roomier than the Beech King Air, which is the historical benchmark of light business airplane comfort.

The Phenom 100 meets or exceeds all design goals set when the program was announced in 2005.

The three 12 inch Garmin flat-panel displays are identical and can be swapped out with nothing more than a screwdriver. This also impacts the Cirrus bragging rights for the largest Garmin panels in the market. The Prodigy not only is the same size as the Cirrus Perspective, it has 3 panels instead of only two. All of the airplane configuration data is stored outside the display panels, so any panel can plug into any of the three spots. You can even takeoff with one failed display. If it is the pilot's PFD or the center MFD that fails, you simply move the display into the needed position and takeoff with full capability.  Amazing.

3 panels

Here are some comments from a real world pilot on a test flight in Brazil.

“The Phenom 100 is a delight to fly in the terminal area. Flap and gear extension speeds are high so the airplane fits in well with other jet traffic. The Pratt engines are very responsive so speed control is easy. VREF final approach speeds are close to 100 knots, but for long runways at busy airports you can fly faster without a lot of float over the runway. And on approach the Phenom is in a very natural attitude that requires nothing more than bringing the power to idle and slightly raising the nose to make a great landing on the long stroke trailing-link gear.

On my last landing in the airplane I went for a maximum effort stop. I cut the power a little higher for a firmer touchdown, and with maximum braking, which takes a very strong push on the pedals, the Phenom stopped in less than 1,500 feet of ground roll. The antiskid brake logic is very aggressive but I had no difficulty maintaining the center line as the system cycled the brakes to prevent wheel lock.”

Embraer has more than 800 orders for the Phenom 100 and the larger 300 model combined. The company doesn't break out order numbers for each model, but says the backlog for the 100 is around four years. The production schedule for 100s is 125 airplanes a year, but that all depends, of course, on the state of the global economy. Most of these are destined for U.S. customers.  The most recent numbers indicate approximately 250 Phenom 100s are flying.

The performance specs are pretty impressive also. Not only is the Phenom 100 the fastest jet in its class, but it’s also versatile and can take off and land on the shortest runways.

Ok so we have a real world simplified one pilot jet with impressive performance numbers.  Can we get on with the flight simulator review now?

feelThere.com has been in the business of making Embraer Jets for either their own marketing or sometimes for other retailers such as Wilco, Just Flight or now our very own Avsim Store since the FS9 days.  You can find a rich history of ERJ-135 and 145 and the E-Jets 170 –195 in their shop.  When one mentions Embraer in flight simulator circles, you automatically think of feelThere.

feelThere LE level of Simulation

New Cover

This time around, they added a slight twist and have dubbed this Phenom 100 an LE model. This has to do with the previously mentioned simplified design parameters of the real world model and the following statement from Victor Racz, the Project Director on all the Embraer models at the feelThere shop.

“Sometimes you just want to fly, or you are new to flight simulation, and don't wish spend 30 minutes pre-flighting an aircraft. Maybe today you don't want to spend much effort to create a flight plan and programming a flight management computer. feelThere LE aircraft are designed to be detailed enough to immerse you in the simulation experience and quickly get into the air from power-up to takeoff. Many systems are modeled, just not every system. You will find the level of detailed is greater than any flight simulator default aircraft. The systems that are modeled behave correctly; or are only slightly simplified. LE aircraft are designed for fun … which is the point for playing Microsoft's Flight Simulator.”

A visit to the feelThere.com website will reveal the following:

GENERAL FEATURES:

• Highly detailed Phenom 100 (by Embraer) for Microsoft Flight Simulator X and 2004 (fs9)
• Fly up to 4 passengers with 1178 Nm range
• New generation GARMIN 1000 flight deck
• Detailed interiors with superb details
• Simple FMS integrated with Multi Function Displays using the default FS flight planner
• Full Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC)
• Realistic flight dynamics based on manufacturer’s specifications.
• Truly immersive sound experience powered by Turbine Sound Studios
• Numerous animations
• Nose wheel steering limited over 40kts
• Load Manager

Flightdeck

 PANEL FEATURES :

• New Generation Full glass cockpit with advanced GARMIN 1000 digital avionics
• Multiple photorealistic 2D control panels
• Fully interactive 3D virtual cockpit
• Simicons to easily access 2D panels
• Aircraft flyable from the Captain or First Officer's seat (virtual cockpit mode)
• Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System (EGPWS) and warnings and caution messages
• TCAS II : Traffic avoidance with audio-visual Traffic Advisory and Resolution Advisory system
• Pop up instrument EFIS screens for multi-monitor displays
• Screen resolutions from 1024x768 to 1920x1080 for a perfect instrument readability
• Two panels for standard 4:3 and wide 16:9 screens

Pop-ups

SYSTEMS FEATURES:

• About all systems are simulated : electrical, pneumatic, hydraulic, pressurization system, bleed air, air conditioning, FADEC with ATR function
• Computerized Management System called Full Authority Digital Engine Control (FADEC) (optimizes engine operation during all phases of the flight and, in turn, reduces fuel consumption and maintenance costs)
• Auto Pilot with overspeed and stall recovery systems, just like the real thing
• Ice detection fully simulated

FMC

 FMS FEATURES (FLIGHT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM):

• Simple FMS to load flight plans from FSX default flight planner
• VNAV mode supported for cruise and descent phase

HARDWARE COMPATIBILITY:

• Go Flight modules
• Track IR

Technical Requirements

Microsoft Flight Simulator 9 - Microsoft Flight Simulator X SP2 (or Acceleration Pack) - Windows XP 32 bits - Vista 32 bits - Seven 32-64 bits - Intel Core 2 Duo CPU (2x 2666Mhz) or equivalent (Core 2 Quad CPU recommended) - 2 GB RAM - DX9 Graphic Card with at least 256 MB (512 MB strongly recommended).

Engine

There is also a “take off” button which does a final check to ensure the flaps, speed brakes, and trims are all set for takeoff, giving a final audible confirmation. Standard take off requires one to two notches of flaps – there is a special procedure for a no-flap takeoff.

The gear switch is standard, except that there are no dedicated “three in the green” lights. The gear status appears only on the MFD.

That is a very impressive list of features for an LE model.  So now let’s load her up go for a flight in FSX.

The download arrives as zipped folder with two exe files.  The FSX install file is 98 MB and the FS9 exe files are 86 MB.  I don’t think many folks still actively run both programs but, in case you do, you will have install files for both programs.  Installation is a snap with input of your email address you used at purchase and the supplied serial number from the download service.

The package includes the typical feelThere configuration manager that must be ran prior to starting FSX and loading the Phenom 100.  This is the combination of tabs and checkboxes and it usually done a time or two to get your standard configuration set.  From then on you will probably only be using the Load Manager where you choose Metric or Imperial then use a couple of sliders to select the number of passengers and cargo weight.  Passenger choices are 0 – 4 and the cargo weight is 0 - 591.  This will tally up to your Zero Fuel Weight and a BOW.  Let me see, I used to know what a BOW was.

The other 8 tabs have lots and lots of configuration choices to do with displays, FPS, sound, general preferences, graphics and many other things one would not normally associate with an LE type product.  I see they still have speed callouts and an option to pause FS at 20nm before TOD.  That is the one I call the “continue to fly” while I’m having dinner switch.

This is an impressive number of choices, I see Cold and Dark, Ready for Engine Start and Engines Running for startup.  It sure doesn’t sound very LE to me.  Both wide screen and standard are supported, along with a multitude of keyboard assignments. It has an assignable TO/GA button in case you don’t like the one hidden on the panel.  Yep, very impressive.

Other files that are placed in the feelThere Phenom 100 folder off the Start key are some airport diagrams and SIDs and STARs for the tutorial flight from KSDL, Scottsdale, AZ to KLAS, Las Vegas. SIDS and STARS are good signs of things to come.  The 44 page pdf Phenom 100 Operations Manual starts off with what the manual Is and Isn’t.  The short version is the manual covers the basic use of the FMS, systems prep, taxi, takeoff, flight, descent, approach, landing, taxi and shutdown.  What it is not is ‘all there is to know’ about the Phenom 100 in 44 pages or less.

Sounds like the mouse scroll wheel will be an important feature in flying this simulation.  I always like it when the designers know I have a scroll wheel and I like to use it to set frequencies or speeds, flip switches and such.

For you guys and girls that like 2d panels, you are in luck here. The Shift+2 - Shift+6 keystrokes will bring up Lights, Pneumatics, Fuel/FMS/Landing Gear, Electrical/Engine Start/Stop, and Throttles/Flaps.  A not so small Simicon Bar with some new icons is also available for those of us that rather click an icon than press multiple keystrokes.

I made it to page 6 in the Ops Manual before I found a series of typos concerning the autopilot panel knobs and a few misused words. I think you can figure out how they work and just mark up your printed copy of the manual.  I have never had any luck at all getting feelThere to correct their manuals.  I think it might be something in their water.

I will tell you this. I have yet to see two developers program the G1000 panels the same.  This one is no different.  You can fumble around pressing and pushing keys or you can read the manual and make some notes.  Some of the softkeys are dependent on specific conditions for functions. I would say pages 6 and 7 are required reading.

Phenom 100 exterior

The simulated Phenom 100 is described as generally a 10,000 pound single pilot twin jet with 4 passenger seats, 2 pilot seats, a toilet and a 1,200 nm range at 380 kt/FL410 cruise. You will need about 3,500 ft for takeoff with standard conditions at max weight but only 2,700 feet to land.

The Introduction Flight has less than an hour of flight time and should take the average simmer about 90 minutes to complete.  I highly recommend you make this flight using the manual a time or two because this aircraft is not only new, but different.  The next nine pages hold the key to the enjoyment of this simulation. This flight is made with the default ATC not turned on, all the necessary clearances and commands are included in the instructions.  You will be using the normal checklists throughout with emergencies to be mastered at another time. 

The Operations Manual has nice clear, color images of each panel with an explanation for each.  A few buttons, switches, and knobs are not simulated but, you cannot tell that by looking at them.  Tooltips will be your friend as you get familiar with the panels.

Be sure to engage the callouts and have your headphones or speaker volume set as you will get some assistance from that empty copilot’s seat. You will find that the TO CONFIG button is necessary for flight and it has a nag feature.

Phenom 100 cockpit

Pages 32 and 33 have all the reference and performance speeds and data.  Looks like a good candidate for the laminating machine.  The next three pages are the Normal Checklists. At first glance the checklist looks about as complicated as a Cessna 182 RG.  The balance of the manual is several pages of EICAS messages, abbreviations, credits and copyrights.

If this is your first Embraer aircraft you will be greeted with the classic Ram horns yoke.  This is an Embraer icon and has now gained full acceptance by those who fly them in the real world.  The yoke looks a little strange to the sim pilot but Embraer says if you hold both hands out and place them on the yoke, it is the most natural fit. Did you hear that, every other airplane maker in the world?

feelThere LE Phenom 100 Screenshots

Notice how overcooked the reflections in the windscreen are in the download version.  This can be corrected with a simple .dds reflection replacement file. (Not supplied by feelThere)

Reflections

I asked Soya to make some of his outstanding screenshots for your perusal.  The Phenom LE sure does well in a photo shoot.  Notice how sharp the sub-panels are, especially the switch labels.

I use AivlaSoft’s Electronic Flight Bag for my flight planning and monitoring and it works with the feelThere Phenom 100 like they were made for each other.  I simply copied the route from the Operations Manual, added the cruise altitude and voila.  I have also added the Phenom 100 as one of the aircraft types.

All of these charts were generated from my adding the route, selecting the altitude and selecting the approach. Aivlasoft automatically feeds the FSX Flight Planner; therefore FSX adds everything directly into the G1000 flight plan and the Phenom 100 FMS.  A 30-day free trial of the full product is available at www.aivlasoft.com.

Profile

There are a couple of not so popular items that come with the basic install.  I’m not sure who came up with the windshield reflections, but I think they got totally carried away.  One of the first things I recommend is to take a quick look and if you think the reflections are a bit much then go to the support site and search for a fix.  I have uploaded a replacement file that renders the reflections totally null and void.

Flying the tutorial flight

Boeing and Airbus pilots will have a few head scratching minutes from time to time, but in the end most of the procedures and techniques make sense,  it just another way of doing things.  It is more in the camp of familiarization than anything else. If I were flying the LE Phenom 100 day-in and day-out, I would have no problems with those buttons or nomenclature differences whatsoever.  I do miss the speed brakes though.

The flight dynamics and navigation was spot on and actually better than many other high flying add-ons that I have.  Let’s just say it ‘flies better than most’ and many of the procedures are intuitive, but for me the distraction is the VC cockpit that falls in the ‘really disappointing’ area.  Many of the standard click spots are not where I expect them to be, can’t be found, or they are not even present.

Panel comparison

I was just about to give up on finding the key to selecting the Nav2 receiver on the PDF when I stumbled across the only method that I am aware – press the center mouse wheel.  For those of you without a scroll wheel mouse, well I just don’t know.  I was not able to find the secret of turning on the cursor for the PFD in the VC – ever.

Another major deficiency is in the coding of the PFD and MFD popups.  The Phenom100 method is the worst I can imagine.  Only part of the screen is enlarged but in every case the soft keys are not enlarged with the screen.  This seems like a straight forward hot fix and I find it difficult to believe that it hasn’t been addressed in some form or fashion.  I downloaded a fresh install and reinstalled the program and SP1 just to make sure that I had not overlooked a vital update somewhere along the way.

MFD

MFD zoomed

Phenom 100 2D pop-ups

Where I see more deficiencies is in the PFD and MFD screen resolution.  I have a hangar full of FSX add-ons and almost a dozen with some form of G1000 panels.  The Phenom100 is the only one that leaves the softkeys behind when the screen is enlarged and they must be enlarged to read some of the fuzzy text.  I thought it fair to compare the LE Phenom to the FSX default G1000 in the Cessna172.  The default makes the LE appear as FS9 or maybe even FS2002 quality when looking at the compass rose and associated arrows and nav data.

Phenom PFD to compare

I was surprised that the ‘Call’ program was not included.  It is such a nice little support program that adds some nice touches with the voices and world map. I think it would have been a natural for the Phenom 100.

After reading some of the posts at the general AVSIM forums about some of the early adopters of the Phenom 100, I suggest you spend some time actually reading the capabilities of the default GPS500 and by extension the default G1000 system.  Doug Horton wrote a very informative 2 part series for one of the popular computer magazines on how to use the GPS500.  Part one can be found as a free download.  Part 2 was not to be found in the free libraries but is available as a digital copy for just a few pennies.

This leads me to another suggestion.  I think it would be very helpful if someone would post a good tutorial on how to use the G1000 and highlight all the nice features and shortcuts.  We tend to shy away from the included items that come with FSX thinking it must not be that good if was included.  There are lots of big colorful images with many softkeys and bezel buttons so how to use those silly inner circles and outer circles is important.

When I read the Operations Manual the second time, I started highlighting the typos, errors and misused words. There are a lot more than there should be. One item that feelThere could do is to standardize on the use of either FMC or FMS. It really doesn’t matter which they choose, but the manual tends to use them interchangeably even in the same paragraph.  I am going to post a word count for each and see which one wins.  The label on the bezel is FMS.  Here is the count:  FMC 16 times, FMS 31 times.  I do realize one is remote to the cockpit and does the number crunching and the other is the pilot’s interface.

How to make an LE an LX

The feelThere LE Phenom 100 is a fairly impressive little jet with awesome ramp presence and a modern good looking interior and cockpit spaces.  It has been simplified as a simulator model, but, maybe no more so than the real world model is simplified.  It has many big boy features such as VNAV and a FMS although both are very limited.  About the only thing it doesn’t have is the modern updated navigational database. 

Fortunately, this can be fixed very easily.  Many of us have AivlaSoft’s Electronic Flight Bag that can be updated with Navigraph with 13 regular cycles each year. This will feed directly to the Phenom 100 FMS and provide updates for the last 6 or 7 years of airports, waypoint, and frequency changes.  Flight plans, changes and updates to flight plans, effect of winds, runway changes, last minute approach changes can all be possible with the two coupled together.

Summary and Conclusions

Those of you who may not be interested in the updated data can continue to fly and enjoy the Phenom just as it comes out of the box.  It will continue to look good, fly good and your friends and neighbors that chose the Mustang won’t notice any difference.  Maybe FSX is making the full circle and now you are not supposed to have a copilot to keep you company while cruising at FL410. 

For those flight simmers who are looking for something more than an LE edition or maybe just a more functional navigation system I would recommend you consider other offerings.  The almost default copy of the GPS in this one is quite limited and you may become frustrated with the shallow systems and inconsistences between the 2d and VC screens.  Some of this is simply because the real world version of the Phenom 100 was designed as a simplified cockpit for single pilot operation.  But, on the other hand, it is different enough from the FSX default aircraft to offer an alternate.

I have just completed a review of one of the older twin jet add-ons from the Cessna camp and I complained that the sub-panels and popups were fuzzy and old-school while the glass panels were crystal clear.  By comparison, this one is just the opposite. Given a choice, I would probably choose to have sharper glass panels.

Some of the individual panels in the LE are outstanding in form and function and are quite sharp in resolution, while the primary screens are just the opposite. A few of the downers for me are the developer’s approach to enlarging the PFD and MFD screens with the low resolution and the major differences between the VC mode and 2d mode.  It appears to me that two separate teams may have been at work but failed to hold coordination meetings.

Many of the limitations of the feelThere version of the G1000 can be assigned to the up-front LE approach of simplicity and the ‘jump in and fly’ approach.  Of course, this doesn’t explain why the screen displays are so poor. Even the default G1000 somehow manages to accomplish a much sharper presentation and standard popups. This one does have the ‘Direct To’ feature which will save the day for many.

Another complicating factor may be the Embarer way of doing things are not at all like the Boeing or Airbus method. This is probably intentional but the carryover into FSX makes for a mix of not necessarily good or bad, just different and frustrating to old pilots that are set in their ways.

If this were the only VLJ available for FSX I could probably get used to the idiosyncrasies and intentionally reduced features but fortunately, there are other choices.  It all depends on those important features that tend to appeal to different users. The feelThere LE Phenom 100 certainly has a lot packed into the package and as an ultra-modern pocket rocket will be just what some are looking for.  Grab the SP1 update, find a good sale, jump in and go fly.

References

http://www.fs2000.org/simnews/2008/news/Using_the_Garmin_G1000_Glass_Cockpit.htm

C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Games\Microsoft Flight Simulator X\FSWeb\LearningCenter\Navigation\UsingTheMap.htm

C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Games\Microsoft Flight Simulator X\FSWeb\LearningCenter\Navigation\UsingTheFlightPlanner.htm

C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Games\Microsoft Flight Simulator X\FSWeb\LearningCenter\Navigation\UsingTheGPS.htm

C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Games\Microsoft Flight Simulator X\FSWeb\LearningCenter\Navigation\usingtheg1000.htm

Widescreen 2D

2D pop-ups

Default 172 zoom

Photo Credits

Phenon 100 on ground, N645AS at KLFK Photo by Christopher Ebdon, Copyright, All Rights Reserved, Used with permission.
Phenom Cockpit, PT-FQB, Photo by Alexey Grachev, Copyright, All Rights Reserved, Used with permission.

Patrick van der Nat, aka Soya, has provided practically all original screenshots for this review. Patrick van der Nat, Screenshot Artist extraordinaire, resident of Jersey, UK Channel Islands. Please visit Soya’s videos that show off some sceneries online and Soya’s FSX screenshot library.  Thanks Soya.

Credits

Thanks to Victor Racz at feelThere.com for providing the add on for review.

Copied from the feelThere LE Phenom 100 support site.

Q. Where is the APU start/stop switch/button?

A. there is no APU on the Phenom 100. the aircraft is run off battery power or a GPU. The phenom uses only battery/GPU power for engine start. (just like the real aircraft)

Q. where is the red beacon switch?

A. there is no red beacon switch on the Phenom. when you begin the engine start sequence the red beacon comes on automatically. The red beacon will turn off when both engine start knobs are in the OFF position. (just like the real aircraft)

Q. how do I engage engine reverse thrust?

A. the Phenom's engines do not have reverse thrust. (just like the real aircraft)

Q. how do I change the autopilot's primary navigation source? (i.e., go from GPS to NAV1 radio)

A. press the PFD's CSI softkey to cycle through the primary navigation source modes.

Q. how do I make the PFDs and MFD screens larger?

A. The main panel screens can be enlarged by a right-mouse-button click. To reduce the
display click again with a right-mouse-button.

Q. how to I program VNAV information into the FMS?

A. the Phenom is a 'LE' product and does not simulate all systems. Please review the manual sections that cover the use of the FLC, ALT, VS and VNAV autopilot buttons on how to use aircraft's vertical navigation modes.

Q. I use FSX and the plane is black and the panel doesn't correctly display.

A. the Phenom requires that FSX is updated to SP2. the Phenom will not work correctly unless FSX sp1 & sp2 are installed.

Q. How do I use/program the FMS/GPS?

A. the Phenom is a 'LE' product and does not simulate all systems. The aircraft is programmed to use the default FS GPS to simulate a limited FMS. please review the manual for information about the interface between the panel and the FS GPS. for more information about the default GPS see the FS 'LEARNING CENTER'.

Q. I can't enter a new waypoint into the flight plan using the FMC's keypad.

A. the Phenom is a 'LE' product and does not simulate all systems. The aircraft is programmed to use the default FS GPS to simulate a limited FMS. please review the manual for information about the interface between the panel and the FS GPS. for more information about the default GPS see the FS 'LEARNING CENTER'.

Q. how do I silence the 'caution/warning' alarm?

A. press the PFD's far right softkey.

Q. during takeoff the co-pilot doesn't say 'V1, rotate, etc.'

A. after setting the takeoff v-speed on the PFD, and just prior to taking off you must press the 'cheat button' on the glare shield (the silver speaker grill just above the autopilot's ALT button).

Q. when I resize the MFD display the map size isn't changed.

A. this is a limitation of the FS default GPS. once you re-size the MFD you then need to resize the GPS map display.

Q. where is the auto brakes knob?

A. the Phenom doesn't have auto brakes. (just like the real aircraft)

Q. where are the spoiler controls?

A. the Phenom doesn't have spoilers. (just like the real aircraft)

Q. there are no liveries with aircraft registration numbers.

A. the registration numbers were removed because of copyright concerns.

Review in PDF format