Owners‘ Analysis: Eclipse, Mustang & Phenom

!And in some respects, that may not be so bad. Pilot reports don't reveal every aspect of an airplane's personality, anyway. What we often miss in a pirep is the personal touch of an owner's opinions. What does he or she like most about his airplane? After a hundred or a thou­­sand hours, what would he change if he had the chance?

Therefore, forthwith and to wit, we decided to ask some owners for their opinions on three light jets---the Cessna Mustang, the Embraer Phenom 100 and the Total Eclipse 500. There are several hundred of each model available, so it's not hard to find owners willing to talk to us about the airplane's positives and negatives. We listened carefully, and here's what they told us.

Cessna Citation Mustang 510
Bill Maudru is president of a construction company based in Napa, Calif., and has occasion to travel all over the U.S. on demand for both business and pleasure. He has been flying for a half-dozen years, and his previous airplane was a Cessna Grand Caravan.

"The Caravan was a great aircraft for local travel around California. It could haul a ton of people and equipment (literally), and with all the doors and ladders, it was an easy airplane to load, even with a forklift," Maudru explains, "but inevitably, we wanted more speed. We had the airplane on a dry lease with two other companies, and it was working well, but our two lessee clients agreed faster would be better."

Cello & Maudru Construction did some careful analysis of their own travel experience and that of their Part 135 clients, and determined that they rarely traveled with more than four people aboard. "We looked at single-engine turboprops, twin turboprops and the gamut of other competitors," says Maudru, "and there was one airplane that stood out as ideal for our type of operation."

As a result, the company traded up to a Cessna Citation 510 Mustang jet in late 2010. "The Mustang looked to be nearly a perfect fit for our business, and that's exactly the way it has worked out," Maudru comments. "The biggest benefit has obviously been speed. We're flying as quick as 340 knots, almost exactly twice as fast as we did in the Caravan, and that opens up travel benefits we couldn't have considered before. For example, we have a job site in Santa Maria, Calif., that we visit often, and the ability to cut travel time in half means we can spend more time on-site, and less time getting there and back.

"We also travel up and down the West Coast on a regular basis, usually with a pilot and two or three passengers aboard, though we have operated several times with all six seats full," Maudru continues. The advantage of pressurization and so much extra power allows us to cruise high above most of the weather in smooth air and sunshine, rather than have to slog it out down low in IMC conditions."

Maudru flies the Mustang himself on many trips, and the company employs a corporate pilot for Part 135 operation. Most of Maudru's hops are relatively short range, 700 nm or less, "so we don't necessarily need the full 2730 pounds of fuel," says Maudru. "We've had about a dozen occasions to fly coast-to-coast to our partner company in North Carolina, and we can do that in one day, fairly consistently eastbound, with one stop in someplace like Wichita. It's not so easy coming back---usually two stops or even three if the winds are strong up high---but it's still a very comfortable trip. Our baggage arrives when we do, and no one has to take their shoes off."

Maudru suggests book numbers have proven fairly conservative, and the airplane will beat them most of the time. "The FADEC system on the P&W engines is fairly foolproof. You set power and forget it. The FADEC takes care of all adjustments during climb and cruise. We see an initial 2,000 to 2,500 fpm on initial climb, and I fly the Mustang at FL400 or 410 on any leg longer than 1.5 hours. I simply select the 'cruise' detent and let the computer do the work. Fuel burn up high is only 400 to 450 pounds/hour (60 to 67 gph), not that much more than our Caravan at twice the speed, about 340 knots at optimum altitude."

With bug speeds at typical landing weights down around 95 knots, the Mustang can operate easily into any strip of 4,000 feet or more. "The carbon-fiber brakes are great, so we really don't miss the lack of thrust reversers," Maudru remarks.

With bug speeds at typical landing weights down around 95 knots, the Mustang can operate easily into any strip of 4,000 feet or more. "The carbon-fiber brakes are great, so we really don't miss the lack of thrust reversers," Maudru remarks.

The only negative on the airplane isn't really a complaint. "We'd love to have an extra 200 nm of range, but if we did, we'd probably want still another 200 nm," the pilot laughs. "For our company right now, the Mustang is almost ideal. I can't imagine a better airplane for our missions."

Embraer Phenom 100
In 2006, Ron Gruner of Boston, Mass., decided he was ready to step up to a jet. He had been flying his friendly Cessna 195 for 2,000 hours, and his travel needs dictated that he consider something faster and more comfortable. Gruner had a vacation home in Naples, Fla., and the 1,050 nm trip back and forth was just too time-consuming in his classic Cessna.

"The Sun 'n Fun Show in Lakeland is well-known for showcasing many of the best aircraft in general aviation," says Gruner, "and in 2006, I dropped in to see what might be my next step." Gruner was especially interested in the SOCATA TBM-850, the Eclipse 500, the Cessna Mustang and the Phenom 100.

A serial entrepreneur involved in the computer and internet industries, Gruner had utilized a number of aircraft for corporate travel. He stopped by the Eclipse booth at the Lakeland show, and though he was impressed with the technology, he felt the cabin was too small for his needs. He had the same opinion of the TBM-850. "They were both very exciting machines, and the build quality was impressive, but the lack of an onboard lav disqualified them both for our applications.

"I visited the Cessna Mustang display, and that airplane was very attractive, plush and comfortable, and fitted with a raft of automatic systems," Gruner explained. "The FADEC system was especially impressive." Trouble was, the cabin didn't seem quite large enough for the CEO's needs.

Finally, Gruner visited the Embraer booth, and in his words, "I struck gold. The Phenom 100 was almost the ideal airplane for my needs. It had slightly more powerful Pratt & Whitney engines with essentially the same FADEC system as the Mustang. At the time, the 100 was only about $500,000 more than the Mustang, it had a large cabin, and there was an onboard potty."

Gruner put down his deposit, in hope that Embraer would certify the light jet in two years. "As it turned out, it was late 2009 before my airplane was ready. My wife and I plus a check pilot flew down to the factory in São José dos Campos, Brazil, I went through the transition course, and we flew the airplane home a short time later. Today, I have over 700 hours in the Phenom 100, and the airplane just keeps getting better."

Gruner operates his Phenom 100 on a regular basis for both business and pleasure, and everyone who flies with him loves the jet. "It's an easy airplane to fly, and the systems are fairly idiotproof," Gruner comments. "I regularly cruise between FL350 and 410 and see 335 to 340 knots up high. Optimum altitude for speed is FL300, where you can manage slightly over 390 knots under the proper conditions."

The Phenom 100 uses a version of the Garmin G1000 flat panel avionics that Embraer calls the Prodigy system. Gruner feels it's not that tough to use, but acknowledges that it takes a while to get used to. "There's so much capability there that it took me a full year before I was playing it like a piano."

His only reservation about the Phenom 100 is the braking system. "Embraer is working hard to improve the airplane's ABS braking. For now, it's a little fragile, but we can still get the jet into pretty much anyplace we want.

"The Phenom 100 spoils you in almost every respect," says Gruner. "If I fly high, I can get by on 520 pounds/hour. I'm well aware that fuel is only one of the costs of operating a jet, but as far as I'm concerned, the Phenom 100's performance puts it at the head of the pack."

Total Eclipse 500
Gordon Feingold of Santa Barbara, Calif., is one of those lucky people who's realizing a goal that many of us have---to retire at a relatively young age with his own personal jet and the means to travel extensively.

Late last year, Feingold took delivery of a Total Eclipse 500 and turned 60 at about the same time. "It's a dream my wife and I have had for several years, to see the world the way we want to, and now we're doing just that," says Feingold.

Feingold isn't new to the joys, rewards and challenges of aviation. He has been flying for some 35 years and made a living as a professional pilot when he was a young man. "Aviation was an exciting occupation, but it didn't take long before I realized it would be difficult to make a decent living as a pilot," Feingold explains. "I worked in a number of capacities, including flight instructing, but eventually, I decided to branch out into other fields."

Today, Feingold is the retired CEO of System Dynamics Incorporated, a turnkey system integrator for precision manufacturing and measurement using laser sensors. The CEO's new job in semi-retirement is enjoying his Eclipse.

Feingold has owned a number of airplanes working up to a jet, a Bonanza and two Cirrus SR22s, a normally aspirated and a turbocharged version, and he says there were several similarities between all of the aircraft. "The common ingredient in all my aircraft has been passion. It was obvious to me that the folks at Cirrus had a great passion for their products, and when you buy a Cirrus, you're buying into that dedication. Similarly, Mason Holland and his team at Eclipse are building an airplane with the same kind of passion."

According to Feingold, the Total Eclipse is a nearly ideal airplane for his purely personal missions. "The airplane provides us with an easy three hours of endurance, so 1,000 miles between pit stops is no problem. We've removed the aft two seats to make more room for luggage," Feingold comments, "and that allows us to carry pretty much anything we wish on our trips."

The CEO reports the Eclipse does almost exactly what the book says it will. "The 500 will get off and up at an easy 2,000 fpm and will manage 40,000 feet in about 40 minutes at our typical weights. I fly in the high 30s most of the time, which provides a good compromise between speed and fuel burn, and that usually yields an easy 350 knots. The pressurization system is ideal for us. At 41,000 feet, the 8.3 psi differential allows a cabin altitude of 8,000 feet. If we're operating down at 30,000, we can practically pressure the cabin to the ground. That helps minimize fatigue, so you hardly know you've been flying six miles high."

Feingold, a former vice president of the Cirrus Owners and Pilots Association, feels the Eclipse is the perfect airplane for his missions, though the 500 itself isn't perfect. "The lack of anti-lock brakes can be a little exasperating, but Eclipse is working on that, and we rarely have occasion to fly into short fields, so it's not a major problem for us. I have 140 hours in the 500, and I've never seen any significant handling problems on the ground or in the sky.

"Synthetic Vision would be nice, and that will be available on the 550, but again, it's not a major disadvantage for us.

"Our hope is that Eclipse CEO Mason Holland can make a go of the Eclipse program in this economy," Feingold says. "It will be a challenge, but if anyone can do it, he can. He has passion."