Embraer Praetor 500: how 124 jets are really flown
The busiest 5% made more than 40 flights a month and the quietest 5% fewer than 4: over ten times as many, on the same type.
At the harder end, one Praetor 500 in twenty sees a freeze and a thaw on 20% or more of its nights. At the easier end, it is 1% or less.
The harder end, one aircraft in twenty, is at 13% or more; the easier end near none.
The hardest-worked 5% log 40 flights a month or more; the easiest-used, 4 or less. The middle aircraft sits at 31.
Fatigue
What each landing and pressurization cycle costs the structure: landings per hour and short hops.
The middle Praetor 500 flies 1.5 hours for every landing. One in twenty lands every 1.3 hours or sooner, the most cycles for its time.
Middle half 1.4–1.6 : 1Harder end: 5% at 1.3 : 1 or lessEasier end: 5% at 1.9 : 1 or more
Middle half 33–41%Harder end: 5% at 49% or moreEasier end: 5% at 21% or less
Middle half 380–460 nmLowest 5%: 304 nm or lessHighest 5%: 659 nm or more
Context, not graded: the tint marks the harder and easier end of the fleet.
Spread of trip lengths
All 124 Praetor 500sThe data behind it
Every measure for the 124 North American Praetor 500s, 1 Aug 2025 – 31 Jul 2026.| Measure | Fleet median | Middle half |
|---|---|---|
| Hours per landing Each aircraft’s average flight hours per landing | 1.5 : 1 | 1.4–1.6 : 1 |
| Short hops Share of legs under 300 nm | 37% | 33–41% |
| Leg length Median leg | 420 nm | 380–460 nm |
Corrosion
What the air around it does overnight: salt, damp and freeze–thaw.
The middle Praetor 500 spends 8% of its nights within 2 km of the coast. One in twenty spends 16% or more of them there.
Middle half 4–11%Harder end: 5% at 16% or moreEasier end: 5% at -0%
Middle half 6.2–7.6 hHarder end: 5% at 10.2 h or moreEasier end: 5% at 4.9 h or less
Middle half 5–13%Harder end: 5% at 20% or moreEasier end: 5% at 1% or less
Context, not graded: the tint marks the harder and easier end of the fleet.
Salt air across the fleet
106 Praetor 500sThe data behind it
Every measure for the 106 of the 124 North American Praetor 500s with enough nights at known fields, 1 Aug 2025 – 31 Jul 2026 (5 on their record since 1 Jan 2025: too few in the 12 months).| Measure | Fleet median | Middle half |
|---|---|---|
| Salt air Nights within 2 km of the coast | 8% | 4–11% |
| Near the coast Nights within 10 km of the coast | 35% | 27–40% |
| Damp air Hours a day at 80% humidity or more, above freezing | 6.8 h | 6.2–7.6 h |
| Freeze–thaw Nights that froze and thawed within the day | 9% | 5–13% |
| Moisture in the air Average absolute humidity overnight | 9.6 g/m³ | 8.9–10.6 g/m³ |
Engines and brakes
What departures ask of engines, brakes and tires: heat and height, and runway length.
The middle Praetor 500 leaves from a short runway on 11% of its departures. One in twenty does on 19% or more.
Middle half 8–14%Harder end: 5% at 19% or moreEasier end: 5% at 4% or less
Middle half 4–10%Harder end: 5% at 13% or moreEasier end: 5% at -0%
Middle half 1,411–1,663 ftHarder end: 5% at 2,264 ft or moreEasier end: 5% at 939 ft or less
Context, not graded: the tint marks the harder and easier end of the fleet.
Runway margin at departure
32,520 departuresThe data behind it
Every measure for the 124 North American Praetor 500s, 1 Aug 2025 – 31 Jul 2026.| Measure | Fleet median | Middle half |
|---|---|---|
| Short runways Departures where the longest runway was under 1.25× the takeoff distance | 11% | 8–14% |
| Hot, high takeoffs Departures at 5,000 ft density altitude or more | 7% | 4–10% |
| Density altitude Typical density altitude at takeoff | 1,531 ft | 1,411–1,663 ft |
Utilization
How steadily the fleet is used: flights, flying days and estimated hours.
The middle Praetor 500 made 31 flights a month. The busiest 5% made 40 or more, the quietest 4 or fewer.
Middle half 9.1–35.6Harder end: 5% at 40.7 or moreEasier end: 5% at 3.6 or less
Middle half 5.7–17.1Harder end: 5% at 19.0 or moreEasier end: 5% at 2.9 or less
Middle half 154–644 hHarder end: 5% at ≈717 h or moreEasier end: 5% at ≈65 h or less
Context, not graded: the tint marks the harder and easier end of the fleet.
Month by month
12 monthsMedian flights per aircraft that flew that month · darker bar is the busiest month, May 2026
The data behind it
Every measure for the 124 North American Praetor 500s, every active aircraft (no 40% tracking floor here: on this type it would change which aircraft are compared, not just drop undercounted ones), 1 Aug 2025 – 31 Jul 2026.| Measure | Fleet median | Middle half |
|---|---|---|
| Flights a month In the months it flew | 30.9 | 9.1–35.6 |
| Days flown a month Days with at least one flight | 15.1 | 5.7–17.1 |
| Estimated hours a year From time in the air | ≈549 h | 154–644 h |
Buying, selling or financing a Praetor 500?
See where your Praetor 500 sits in the fleet.
Enter a tail number to place it against these 124 aircraft. TailCheck grades it on Fatigue, Corrosion, Engines and brakes, and Utilization, with every percentile shown.
Where Praetor 500s are based and fly
Toronto Pearson is home to more Praetor 500s than any other field, 5 of the 43 with a home base.
Toronto Pearson–Teterboro is the busiest route: 148 flights by 42 different aircraft.
Where Praetor 500s are based
| Field | Share | Aircraft |
|---|---|---|
| Toronto Pearson | 5 | |
| Calgary | 3 | |
| Fulton | 3 | |
| Campbell River | 1 | |
| Burke Lakefront | 1 | |
| Chattanooga Metropolitan | 1 |
Busiest Praetor 500 routes
| Between | Flights |
|---|---|
| Toronto Pearson ⇄ Teterboro | 148 flights |
| Washington Dulles ⇄ Teterboro | 131 |
| Palm Beach ⇄ Teterboro | 106 |
| Austin-Bergstrom ⇄ Dallas Love | 98 |
| Vancouver ⇄ Calgary | 88 |
| Logan ⇄ Teterboro | 85 |
Longest Praetor 500 flights
| Between | Distance · time |
|---|---|
| Toronto Pearson → Paris-Le Bourget | 3,247 nm · 7 h 36 min |
| Vancouver → St. John's | 2,704 nm · 6 h 00 min |
| Teterboro → Shannon | 2,673 nm · 5 h 59 min |
| TREVET → Malone-Dufort | 2,606 nm · 7 h 13 min |
| Bangor → Dublin | 2,429 nm · 4 h 50 min |
Busiest Praetor 500s this year
The busiest Praetor 500 made 43 flights a month.
Even the tenth on this list made 39.
Ranked by flights a month · updated monthly
| # | Tail | Flights a month | Estimated hours a year | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | N438FX | 43 | 821 h | Check this tail → |
| 2 | N317FX | 42 | 681 h | Check this tail → |
| 3 | N429FX | 42 | 727 h | Check this tail → |
| 4 | N264FX | 42 | 661 h | Check this tail → |
| 5 | N328FX | 41 | 727 h | Check this tail → |
| 6 | N448FX | 41 | 732 h | Check this tail → |
| 7 | N345FX | 41 | 741 h | Check this tail → |
| 8 | N447FX | 41 | 678 h | Check this tail → |
| 9 | N321FX | 40 | 712 h | Check this tail → |
| 10 | N440FX | 39 | 666 h | Check this tail → |
Praetor 500 vs other aircraft of its size
Medians for each North American fleet, same window and method.
| Type | Tracked | Flights a month | Hours a year | Median leg | Hours per landing | Short hops |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Embraer Praetor 500 | 124 | 30.9 | 549 h | 420 nm | 1.5 : 1 | 37% |
| Cessna Citation Latitude | 361 | 35.0 | 582 h | 363 nm | 1.4 : 1 | 43% |
| Cessna Citation Sovereign | 287 | 6.5 | 113 h | 411 nm | 1.4 : 1 | 39% |
| Gulfstream G200 | 129 | 8.3 | 151 h | 462 nm | 1.5 : 1 | 36% |
| Gulfstream G150 | 69 | 4.9 | 99 h | 471 nm | 1.5 : 1 | 32% |
Praetor 500 vs Challenger 300/350 →Praetor 500 vs Citation Latitude →Praetor 500 vs Phenom 300 →
Do older Praetor 500s fly differently?
Age makes little difference: by year built, the median Praetor 500 in each band flew between 544 and 566 estimated hours a year.
Show the tableHide the table
| Serial block | Built | Tracked | Hours a year | Median leg | Short hops |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 550-10035–55010074 | 2015–20 | 36 | 544 h | 417 nm | 37% |
| 55010076–55010189 | 2021–25 | 66 | 566 h | 411 nm | 39% |
US-registered aircraft only: the FAA registry gives serial number and year of manufacture for 102 of the 124 aircraft behind the hours figures. Built = year of manufacture. Avionics upgrades are fitted by modification and the registry doesn’t show them, so check an aircraft’s records.
Legacy 450 vs Praetor 500: on paper
One page covers both models: the tracking data doesn’t tell them apart.
On paper they differ in weights and fuel. Certified figures come from the type certificate data sheet; the rest are the manufacturer’s.
| Measure | Legacy 450 | Praetor 500 | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maximum takeoff weight (certified) | ≈ 35,760 lb | ≈ 37,570 lb | EASA TCDS EASA.IM.A.526 Issue 12, p.17; pounds converted from the kilograms stated, approximate |
| Maximum ramp weight (certified) | ≈ 35,890 lb | ≈ 37,700 lb | EASA TCDS EASA.IM.A.526 Issue 12, p.17; pounds converted from the kilograms stated, approximate |
| Fuel capacity (certified) | ≈ 12,130 lb | ≈ 13,050 lb | Praetor 500: EASA TCDS EASA.IM.A.526 Issue 12, p.17; pounds converted from the kilograms stated, approximate; Legacy 450: EASA TCDS EASA.IM.A.526 Issue 12, p.16; pounds converted from the kilograms stated, approximate |
| Range (manufacturer) | — | ≈ 3,340 nm | Manufacturer (brochure, PDF dated 7 Oct 2020) |
| Takeoff distance (manufacturer) | — | 4,222 ft | Manufacturer (brochure, PDF dated 7 Oct 2020) |
| Passengers | Up to 9 certified · manufacturer layouts 7–9 | Up to 9 certified · manufacturer layouts 7–9 | EASA TCDS EASA.IM.A.526 Issue 12, p.17; Manufacturer (brochure, PDF dated 7 Oct 2020) |
| Fuel capacity, US gallons (approx.) | ≈ 1,810 US gal | ≈ 1,950 US gal | From the certified pounds at 6.7 lb per US gallon of Jet A; actual density varies with temperature |
| High-speed cruise (manufacturer) | — | 466 kt | Manufacturer (brochure, PDF dated 7 Oct 2020) |
| Length (manufacturer) | — | 64 ft 7 in | Manufacturer (brochure, PDF dated 7 Oct 2020) |
| Wingspan (manufacturer) | — | 70 ft 6 in | Manufacturer (brochure, PDF dated 7 Oct 2020) |
| Height (manufacturer) | — | 21 ft 1 in | Manufacturer (brochure, PDF dated 7 Oct 2020) |
What the Praetor 500’s certification file says
Regulators publish an operational evaluation for each type: how pilots must be rated and trained, and what training must stress.
Here is what the Praetor 500 files say, each item with its source.
Crewing a Praetor 500
| Item | What the file says |
|---|---|
| Type rating | E550, covering the EMB-550 (Legacy 500, Praetor 600) and EMB-545 (Legacy 450, Praetor 500)ANAC OER Revision 12, p.13 |
| Minimum crew | 2 pilotsEASA TCDS EASA.IM.A.526 Issue 12, p.17 |
Sources
| Document | Revision |
|---|---|
| EASA TCDS IM.A.526 — Embraer EMB-550 / EMB-545 | EASA · Issue 12 · 23 Sep 2026 |
| ANAC Operational Evaluation Report — Embraer EMB-550 (Legacy 500, Praetor 600), EMB-545 (Legacy 450, Praetor 500) | ANAC · Revision 12 · 20 Aug 2024 |
Praetor 500 questions
How many hours a year does a Praetor 500 fly?
The median North American Praetor 500 flies about 549 estimated hours a year; the middle half sits between 154 and 644. About 1 in 20 flies more than 717.
How often does a Praetor 500 fly?
31 flights a month on 15 flying days at the median. About 1 in 20 makes more than 40 flights a month.
How long is a typical Praetor 500 flight?
The median leg is 420 nm. About 1 in 20 aircraft average more than 659 nm a leg.
How often do Praetor 500 aircraft use short runways?
At the median, 11% of departures are from fields whose longest runway is under 1.25 times the type’s takeoff distance. About 1 in 20 keep it to 4% or less.
Is a high-hours Praetor 500 a bad buy?
Not by itself. High hours on long legs are gentler on the structure than the same hours on short hops. Look at hours per landing and short-hop share alongside hours.
Can a Praetor 500 fly across the Atlantic?
Yes. The manufacturer quotes 3,340 nm for the Praetor 500. In our tracking window, 4 of the 124 North American aircraft flew 7 nonstop crossings between the Americas and Europe or Africa. The busiest were Toronto Pearson–Paris-Le Bourget (1 flights), Glasgow–Princeton (1 flights), London Stansted–Teterboro (1 flights).
What’s the difference between the Legacy 450 and the Praetor 500?
On paper, the Praetor 500 is certified 1,810 lb heavier at takeoff and carries 920 lb more fuel (about 140 US gallons).
How many gallons of fuel does a Praetor 500 hold?
About 1,810–1,950 US gallons. The type certificate gives the capacity in kilograms; we convert to pounds (about 12,130 lb) and then at 6.7 lb per gallon of Jet A, so the figures are approximate.
Where are most Praetor 500 aircraft based?
In North America, Toronto Pearson is home to the most, followed by Calgary and Fulton. A base is the field an aircraft touches on most of its flying days, month after month.
Cite this data
The Aircraft Ledger. “Embraer Praetor 500 fleet statistics.” Data to 31 July 2026. theaircraftledger.com/aircraft/embraer/praetor-500
Embed a chart
<iframe src="https://theaircraftledger.com/embed/fleet/embraer-praetor-500/fatigue" title="Fatigue" width="100%" height="1180" style="border:0;max-width:960px" loading="lazy"></iframe>Method: Embraer Praetor 500 aircraft with most departures in North America and at least 20 tracked flights in the latest twelve full months. Flight measures, bases, routes and rankings use ADS-B tracking 1 Aug 2025 – 31 Jul 2026; corrosion and engines-and-brakes exposure use the same twelve months, or an aircraft’s record since 1 Jan 2025 when it had too few nights or departures in them. Estimated hours from time in the air. Tracking misses some flights, so counts and hours are minimums. ADS-B coverage grew over the window, so we don’t compare one year with the last. Tracking can’t tell one variant from another; the variant split, the busiest table’s variants and the age table use the FAA registry, so they cover US-registered aircraft only. We assume the longest runway at each field, so short-runway figures are conservative. Short-runway figures use the manufacturer’s published takeoff distance where our sources hold one for every variant (the longest, where tracking can’t tell variants apart), and a reference figure otherwise. Corrosion measures cover the aircraft we can place on enough nights, some over the longer window when the twelve months had too few. Charter status is our own list, built from FAA records and public listings of charter aircraft; aircraft flown by a fractional program (NetJets, Flexjet and the like) are counted as fractional, not charter. About our data