“We are looking forward to introducing this extraordinary aircraft to current and future customers,” said D.J. Hanlon, Flexjet executive vice president of sales. “Adding the super midsized Praetor 600 to the fleet is cause for celebration.”

• READ MORE: Flexjet Plans to Add 22 Jets to Fleet By Year’s End

Flexjet has been operating the Praetor 600 in Europe since 2020. The aircraft joins the U.S. fleet which includes Bombardier Challenger 350/3500s and Embraer Praetor 500s. The company notes that by the end of 2023, they will have added 22 aircraft in this category, nearly doubling the mid- and super mid size fleet since 2018.

Fuel Efficient

The Praetor 600 has a range of 4,018 nm and a high-speed cruise of 466 knots, making it the world’s farthest-flying jet in its class. One of the distinctive features of the Praetor 600 is enlarged winglets, roughly six feet high, which contribute to the aircraft’s fuel efficiency.

The Praetor 600 is full fly-by-wire technology, which powers the active turbulence reduction feature for a smoother, more efficient flight. The company notes the aircraft has a cruising altitude of 45,000 feet, which enables it to fly above commercial traffic. 

The cabin measures 26 feet, 8 inches long by 6 feet, 10 inches wide and can be configured for up to nine passengers. The passenger experience includes stowable workstations, WiFi connectivity and advanced noise suppression.

• READ MORE: Embraer’s Q3 Revenue Dips Alongside Defense Demand

Flexjet’s Praetor 600 Tour Dates

September 25 – 29, 2023

• Austin, Texas
• San Antonio, Texas
• Denver, Colorado
• Salt Lake City, Utah
• Portland, Oregon
• Seattle, Washington

 October 2 – 6, 2023

• Miami, Florida
• Naples, Florida
• North Charleston, South Carolina
• Atlanta, Georgia
• Knoxville, Tennessee
• Nashville, Tennessee
• Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• Milwaukee, Wisconsin
• St. Paul, Minnesota

The post Flexjet Launches 12-State Praetor 600 Tour appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The companies said the FAA has qualified the simulator, and initial training for customers is available this month. Recurrent training is scheduled to begin in October.

Embraer and FlightSafety also said another Praetor simulator, the fourth to be fielded, will be based in Europe at a location to be announced later. The companies plan to begin operating that simulator by the end of 2024.

“Offering additional training capacity is important for supporting our customers,” said Carlos Naufel, president and CEO of Embraer services and support. “These two new full-flight simulators bring us even closer to Praetor family pilots and operators in the United States and Europe and will provide us with the opportunity to share our latest technological updates and best-in-class support.,” said Carlos Naufel, president and CEO of Embraer services and support.

Said Nate Speiser, executive vice president of FlightSafety sales and marketing: “FlightSafety is committed to addressing the increasing demand for Embraer Praetor training. ,” said Nate Speiser, executive vice president of FlightSafety sales and marketing. “As Embraer’s training partner, we are proud to announce consecutive simulator deployments in two regions to support the worldwide training demand for this quickly growing fleet.”

The post Embraer, FlightSafety Announce New Praetor Simulators in Florida, Europe appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Flexjet previously added the Embraer Praetor 600 to its North American fractional-ownership fleet after operating the aircraft in Europe for two years. The company said it also operated the Praetor 500 and its predecessor, the Legacy 450, for seven years. Flexjet also operated the Bombardier Challenger 3500 in the super midsize category.

• READ MORE: Flexjet Expands Its Terminal Network

“Together with the existing Embraer Praetor 500 and Challenger 350 aircraft flying in our fleet, the addition of the Praetor 600 and the Challenger 3500 has given Flexjet the industry’s leading offering of mid- and super midsize aircraft,” said Flexjet executive vice president of sales D.J. Hanlon. “The aircraft available to travelers within this offering present mission versatility that is unmatched by any other private aviation provider.”

The company said the Praetor 600 has been the “backbone” of its European fleet since 2020 and has been similarly successful in its U.S. operations.

• READ MORE: Flexjet Plans to Hire 350 Pilots

“Our ability to fly our aircraft owners on these in-demand aircraft today, and not at some distant time in the future, is further validation of our forward-looking approach,” Hanlon said. “We take pride in foreseeing where the desires of the market will be well into the future to ensure we are always offering the leading experience in global private jet travel.”

According to the company, it plans to boost its fleet size to more than 270 airplanes by the end of this year, which is more than double its size in 2018. The fleet includes the Embraer Phenom 300 and Praetor 500 and 600; Bombardier Challenger 350 and 3500; and Gulfstream G450 and G650. Flexjet also said it hired 350 additional pilots last year and plans to add 388 flight crew members and 338 aircraft maintenance technicians in 2023.

The post Flexjet Plans to Add 22 Jets to Fleet By Year’s End appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

In flight, I’ll witness its evolution and intelligence working behind the scenes—but it operates just under the pilot’s ability to sense it, as it diligently keeps the demons at bay. While most new turbine aircraft offer sophisticated layers of overspeed and underspeed protection, FBW FCS operates differently—rather than just jumping in to save you, it’s in the background making minute adjustments, trimming to match the current profile. Even if that profile involves losing an engine.

The Praetor 500, certificated in 2019, carries the same model designation (EMB-550/500) as its predecessor, the Legacy 450, which first flew in 2013 and entered the market in late 2015. With more than 210 flying, the Praetor series has logged more than 300,000 flight hours, and completed more than 195,000 cycles. AirSprint and Flexjet joined the fan club with Praetor additions to their charter fleets at 10 units and 39 units, respectively. With the longest range in the midsize segment, it can tackle true coast-to-coast U.S. city pairs without restriction.

Positions in the delivery queue stretch to late 2023 and early 2024. But with Embraer’s upgrade program, an operator could foreseeably find a Legacy 450 and “Praetorize” it, gaining most of the strengths of the newest model. These include new winglets, a new avionics load, updated fuel control unit wiring, and wing refueling ports.

Embraer Praetor 500 – Specifications

Fusion Up Front

Commanding the flight deck, the Collins Pro Line Fusion in the Praetor uses four large flight displays and a keypad paired with a roller-ball-equipped controller on each side of the center console.

On first approach, many modern turbine cockpits look similar—the differences come to light in the details. As I sat in the left seat prior to our flight, demo pilot Jim Barnhart began a formal briefing. He walked through the preflight sequence and revealed the thoughtful layout of the control groupings for each system. On the overhead: electrical to the far left; fire protection, fuel, and pressurization in the center left; APU and cabin in the center right; and ice protection to the far right.

The checklists on the Fusion have undergone an edit as well, and they only serve up the necessary steps in each phase of preflight, inflight, and after-landing regimes. This is an extension of the “dark and quiet” flight-deck concept pioneered by Boeing—if everything’s fine, the panel is dark and the only sounds are the wind rushing over the wings and the hum of the engines. Yes, they mounted the Honeywell HTF7500E turbofans a good 33 feet behind us, so we needed the engine indication system to be sure they were running when they’re near idle on the ground.

In flight it was a different story, as their 6,540 pounds of flat-rated thrust (up to +18 C to ISA) can propel the 500 forward at up to Mach 0.83/466 ktas at FL 410 (with four passengers and a moderate, mid-cruise fuel weight).

• READ MORE: We Fly Preview: Embraer Praetor 500

During the demo flight we spent most of our time in a range of bugged airspeeds in order to fly through several flight-envelope sequences with the FBW FCS. I hand-flew the airplane into both low-speed and highspeed excursions—but the most fun had to be the steep turns. “Put it from 45 degrees to 45 degrees, and see how fast it goes,” said Barnhart, encouraging me to test the system’s responsiveness. The FBW and other safety elements may limit your ultimate bank, but you can go back and forth with a roll rate that is truly impressive.

Into the Interior

Most Praetor 500 owners spec a seven-passenger cabin configuration with up to nine seats possible on board, in addition to the two-pilot crew.

That cabin stretches 6 feet tall and almost 7 feet wide—the widest in the class. An aft closet behind the lav section allows for 40 cubic feet of cargo to ride along inside the pressure vessel. An additional unpressurized cargo bay in the rear fuselage holds 110 more cubic fee of bags and equipment.

The interior itself holds a key to the Embraer sensibility, which not only takes into account current aesthetics, but also the upgrade potential that lies ahead. When designing the latest Praetor interior, the team factored in the concept that—as connectivity and display technology evolves—owners will want to update their passenger consoles without spoiling the fine lines. Therefore, USB ports and in-flight entertainment system controls slide out of view, and they’re housed in modular components, akin to the line-replaceable units composing the integrated flight deck avionics up front.

With upgrade paths already in place, the Praetor 500 appears well positioned for long-term ownership.

This article was first published in the Q2 2022 edition of FLYING Magazine.

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