Just wondering, what makes the Phenom 300 so special? I think I wondered into an Uber thread?

Ok, back to regular program with this question. Does the Citation CJ4 Gen3 compare to the Phenom 300 in a way that makes it a better alternative? Asking for a friend....

Thanks Sal!

Who knew Uber was such a divisive topic amongst engineers.

I’ve only got a minute and we can dig into the specifics later, but the short answer is the Phenom 300E wins on cabin width / height and ramp appeal, but the CJ4 Gen3 wins in every other category.

It performs better, has better range, is more economical to operate and has better service.

CJ4 has Garmin Autoland and 400# more gas. Textron parts availability seems to be a bit better. But, it has boots on the tail, slower, and Textron fit/finish which is not a nice.

I would think the Garmin Autoland would give the CJ4 a clear edge especially when flown by single pilot older successful men concerned about their families and incapacitation *which admittedly is very very rare.

I didn’t mention the avionics, but I assume Embraer will do the same, so if you order a new 300E today, it will probably come with ATAL.

I said performance, without thinking about speed, so wanted to correct that. The 300E is a lot faster.

I get conflicted claims as to which one climbs better, so interested to hear from those who have flown both which one wins there.

We have demoed the 300E and the PC24 side by side, but not the CJ4.

The first King Air ATAL emergency just occured yesterday, so ATAL is about to get a lot of attention!

We never demoed the CJ4 and Phenom side by side but I can certainly say that the Phenom 300 is an amazing light jet that I look forward to flying on each trip.

Take all the Textron flight profiles with a grain of salt. Our XLS+ and Sov+ were great airplanes but the marketing materials were a bit exaggerated when it came to range and speed. Embraer’s profiles are closer to what the plane actually does.

I would hope any potential client would do their mission in both aircraft and see which one most closely fit their expectations.

That being said, if Textron ever did a marketing study on how much the air stair made passengers feel at ease for flying on a “small” jet I doubt they’d ever build a plane with the step stool staircase again. It really makes a big difference for passenger

Chip-

One of the recent advantages to emerge when considering the CJ4 vs the P300, is the engines.

Pratt & Whitney is currently going through a very difficult stretch, there is a considerable advantage to operating Williams engines at the moment.

As of today, let's say 3/1/26, if you're three months into ownership, fairly new 300 or CJ4/CJ3+ (current versions), and you're AOG for both service and required parts. Who is getting you back online and in the air on average faster, Embraer or Cessna?

As of today, let's say 3/1/26, if you're three months into ownership, fairly new 300 or CJ4/CJ3+ (current versions), and you're AOG for both service and required parts. Who is getting you back online and in the air on average faster, Embraer or Cessna?