So I got a new job in February 2012. Flying a new airplane. It's been rather wonderful, if you must know.
My new baby is named Gladys, and she is a 2009 Phenom 300 built by Embraer in Brazil.
The cockpit is insane and boasts the new Garmin 1000 Prodigy avionics system. This entire airplane is a flying computer, and all of the systems talk to each other to ensure the best flight possible. It is a simple, clean, and very pilot-friendly airplane to fly since they designed it to be single-pilot certified.
I am personally thankful that my bosses prefer to have two pilots up front. It gives me a job!
The Phenom 300 has single-point refueling, which means hooking up one hose can fuel the entire airplane. It's so fast and precise. It will turn the fuel truck off when the proper preset amount has been reached. Our quick turns for fuel are even quicker since we can get a full load in under fifteen minutes. It can take up to thirty minutes to fuel my previous airplane, the Beechjet, and the fuel balance when fueling was always a concern.
Gladys is one balanced airplane already.
Gladys gets her energy from two Pratt and Whitney PW535E engines rated at 3,200 pounds of thrust each. What does this mean? That we can climb super-fast and cruise at 450 knots true airspeed. With an operating ceiling of 45,000 feet, it can get there in about twenty minutes and can then go fast. Usually, that high, airplane performance suffers,
Gladys is a rock star in performance and can go almost 2,000 miles before stopping. This is a 35% increase from my old Beechjet, so everything about her is better!
The cabin inside for the passengers is luxurious and spacious. We can seat up to seven in back, but we usually have it configured with six huge seats and a storage cabinet. With an unbelted lavatory in the back, this airplane can happily accommodate six people for very long trips.
I guess you could say that I'm pretty happy flying this beauty around. Everyone on the ramp comes to look inside. We have the fifth one ever built, and there are about ninety-five of them total in the entire world. I drool all over it every time I go to work, and that hasn't slowed down at all.
What a blessing to have a job that I love so much!