AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - May 2020 - T-18

The Phenom 300's latest round of
upgrades is substantial. Sure, the switch
to Garmin's G3000 avionics in 2013, and
the 2017 introduction of the Phenom 300E
and its new interior, made news at the time.
But the latest 300E variants feature an even
wider range of new cockpit, cabin, and performance features. Embraer says they're
the result of customer feedback.
EXPANDED AVIONICS

By far, the most noteworthy addition
here is Embraer's ROAAS-runway overrun awareness and alerting system. This
$28,000 option, which involves hardware
and software changes to several avionics
units, performs real-time analysis as the airplane approaches a runway for landing. It
uses information from the air data computers, GPS, weight and balance calculations,
and notam information (e.g. displaced
thresholds). The flight plan provides the
selected landing runway at the destination
airport, and the ROAAS engages at 1,000
feet agl. As the approach proceeds, the system automatically evaluates the airplane's
position, speed, descent rate, and configuration. It continuously calculates the
T-18 | AOPA PILOT May 2020

projected flight path and touchdown point
against runway remaining and the runway distance required for a safe landing. If
there's a risk of an overrun it provides visual
and aural alerts. ROAAS covers approaches
flown in icing conditions and to wet or dry
runways. It doesn't cover takeoff overruns,
ice- or snow-contaminated runways, excursions off the side of a runway, or landings
with an engine out or a system failure (such
as inoperative spoilers or brakes).
Between 500 and 100 feet agl, if it calculates an overrun, a visual annunciation
appears on the primary flight displays
(PFDs) and an aural "caution, overrun"
is provided twice. At 100 to 30 feet agl an
"overrun, go around" command sounds
off. If the pilot lands anyway, an "overrun,
brakes" warning comes over the audio.
In cases where the airplane is in a
prolonged flare with adequate runway
remaining, there's a "long flare" alert. This
is most likely to happen on long runways,
but if the flare consumes too much runway, the "overrun, go around" command
comes alive.
By the way, this is the first application of a ROAAS in an executive aircraft.

Airbus and Boeing have overrun protection systems in some of their airliners, and
Gulfstream says its new G700 will have
one. But Embraer says no other manufacturers are working on a ROAAS.
Another feature-Stabilized
Approach-is part of the new Garmin
G3000 avionics suite with the new Phenom
300E. This issues visual and aural "unstable approach" alerts when airspeed on
approach varies by four to five knots from
VREF, descent rates exceed 1,000 fpm, flaps
aren't deployed, or glidepath deviations are
one dot or more.
It bears mentioning that overruns have
been the cause of many light jet accidents,
and the Phenoms certainly have had their
share. They're slippery airplanes with
high-performance wings, and being even
a few knots fast can cause long landings
and overruns. For this reason, Embraer
says a normal Phenom landings should
be preceded by flying down final at VREF,
with no extra airspeed margin unless
gusty conditions prevail. Phenom 300s
have multifunction spoilers (flight spoilers plus ground spoilers that extend after
landing) to help pilots manage airspeed,
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - May 2020

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