Cessna’s Citation CJ3+ and Embraer’s Phenom 300 are two of the most advanced light jets on the market. The CJ3+ has been available since 2014, and the Phenom 300 has been available since 2009. Each plane operates at a similar cost with similar performance specs, with ranges close to 1,900 nautical miles. Both can also be flown by a single pilot. For consistency’s sake, we’ll use 200,000 miles per year as the common denominator for each plane.

• Embraer Phenom 300 Operating Manual
• Phenom 300 Specs

The CJ3+ cruises at around 416 knots, or 467 miles per hour, which means you’re flying the Citation 428 hours in a year. To fly 200,000 miles in a Phenom 300 cruising at 419 knots, or 482 miles per hour, you’d be flying for 415 hours. Based on direct hourly costs and fixed annual costs, how much would it cost you to fly each of these light jets for a year? Citation CJ3+ Direct Hourly Costs Cessna’s CJ3+ burns about 155 gallons of fuel per hour. At $5.00 a gallon, fuel is going to cost you $775.00 per hour. You can expect maintenance on a CJ3+ to cost around $465.02 per hour.

$194.02 of that is for the airframe, and $271.00 is for the engine and APU. With that being said, you’ll spend $1,240.02 on direct costs every hour. 2018 e430 owners manual pdf. At 428 hours, or 200,000 miles, that’s a total of $530,728.56 per year in direct costs.

Embraer Phenom 300 Operating Manual

Fixed Annual Costs Crew expenses for the CJ3+ are, on average, $161,070.00 annually. To hangar a CJ3+, you should expect to pay around $30,420.00 for the year. Insurance, including hull and legal liability, will cost you $19,620.00 for the year. Pilot training will cost you $27,690.00 for the year.

All of those fixed costs combined give you a total of $238,800.00 annually. These numbers are based on flying with two pilots. If you choose to operate with a single pilot, you can obviously expect crew expenses and pilot training costs to drop, although insurance may spike a bit. At 428 hours, we’re looking at the following costs: Total annual direct costs: $530,728.56 Total annual fixed costs: $238,800.00 Total annual cost: $769,528.56 Embraer Phenom 300 Direct Hourly Costs The Phenom 300 burns 157.50 gallons of fuel per hour, on average. At $5.00 a gallon, that’s $787.50 per hour. Maintenance on the Phenom 300 is $452.37 per hour, on average, including $158.93 for the airframe and $293.44 for the engine/APU. Combining fuel and maintenance costs gives you a direct hourly cost of $1,239.87.

Phenom 300 Specs

At 415 hours (200,000 miles), you’re looking at spending $514,546.05 in direct costs each year. Fixed Annual Costs Crew expenses for the Phenom 300 will typically be about $148,200.00 for the year. For your hangar, you’re looking at about $36,757.50 for the year. Insurance will cost you $21,828.30 for the year, and pilot training will cost you $26,325.00. Your total fixed costs for the year will be about $233,110.80 annually.

Again, those numbers are based on two pilots. The CJ3+ and Phenom 300 are both certified for single-pilot operation, so those numbers would drop with just one pilot. At 415 hours, that gives us: Total annual direct costs: $514,546.05 Total annual fixed costs: $233,110.80 Total annual cost: $747,656.85 Comparison Over the course of a year, you’d pay about $22,000 more to fly the CJ3+. The biggest differences are in maintenance costs and crew expenses, which are both a bit more expensive on the CJ3+. According to VREF, average retail value for a 2014 CJ3+ is $6.4 million, and the average retail value of a 2014 Phenom 300 is $7.4 million. For the CJ3+’s additional operating costs, you get to take advantage of its spectacular climb rate of nearly 4,500 feet per minute, compared to 2,642 fpm for the Phenom 300. The Phenom 300, however, has a cabin that’s a foot and four inches longer than that of the CJ3+, and a couple inches wider and taller, as well, with a standard divan and room for an extra passenger.

The Phenom 300 was the most delivered business jet for two years straight from 2013 to 2014, due in large part to its impressive performance at a reasonable cost. Although you’ll spend approximately an extra million at the time of purchase for the Phenom 300 over the CJ3+, you’ll save just over $20,000 a year in operating costs. For many potential buyers, the decision between the CJ3+ and Phenom 300 simply comes down to personal preference.

If you’re familiar with the Citation Jet line, the CJ3+ is a logical step forward. The Phenom 300 was the most delivered business jet in 2013 and 2014 for a reason, thoughand dispatch reliability was definitely one of them. If you have experience with either of these planes, let us know your opinion in the comments!