Eclipse 500/550 vs Phenom 100: how the two fleets are really flown
On two of the four chapters' lead measures, the gap inside each fleet is bigger than the gap between the Eclipse 500/550 and the Phenom 100. The clearest difference is short runways: the middle Eclipse 500/550 at 0%, the middle Phenom 100 at 2%.
Eclipse 500/550 fleet statistics →Embraer Phenom 100 fleet statistics →
Fatigue
On hours per landing, the two fleets' medians match, at 1.2 : 1.
What each landing and pressurization cycle costs the structure: landings per hour and short hops.
Hours per landing
Where the two fleets sitSide by side
Every active aircraft of each type in North America: 75 Eclipse 500/550s and 135 Phenom 100s.| Measure | Eclipse 500/550 median | Middle half | Phenom 100 median | Middle half |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hours per landing Each aircraft’s average flight hours per landing | 1.2 : 1 | 1.0–1.5 : 1 | 1.2 : 1 | 1.0–1.5 : 1 |
| Short hops Share of legs under 300 nm | 54% | 42–64% | 50% | 36–68% |
| Leg length Median leg | 281 nm | 190–347 nm | 297 nm | 207–402 nm |
Corrosion
On salt air, the two fleets' medians match, at 0%.
What the air around the fleet does overnight: salt, damp and freeze–thaw.
Salt air
Where the two fleets sitSide by side
Aircraft we can place on enough nights at known fields: 48 Eclipse 500/550s and 77 Phenom 100s.| Measure | Eclipse 500/550 median | Middle half | Phenom 100 median | Middle half |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salt air Nights within 2 km of the coast | 0% | 0–0% | 0% | 0–3% |
| Near the coast Nights within 10 km of the coast | 1% | 0–17% | 3% | 0–26% |
| Damp air Hours a day at 80% humidity or more, above freezing | 5.5 h | 3.9–7.8 h | 6.8 h | 5.4–9.2 h |
| Freeze–thaw Nights that froze and thawed within the day | 7% | <1–24% | 2% | 0–10% |
| Moisture in the air Average absolute humidity overnight | 7.6 g/m³ | 5.8–9.0 g/m³ | 10.0 g/m³ | 9.0–12.3 g/m³ |
Engines and brakes
On short runways, the types sit further apart than the middle half of either fleet spans: the middle Phenom 100 at 2%, the middle Eclipse 500/550 at 0%.
What departures ask of engines, brakes and tires: heat and height, and runway length.
Short runways
Where the two fleets sitSide by side
Departures we could assess: 75 Eclipse 500/550s and 135 Phenom 100s.| Measure | Eclipse 500/550 median | Middle half | Phenom 100 median | Middle half |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Short runways Departures where the longest runway was under 1.25× the takeoff distance | 0% | 0–0% | 2% | 0–4% |
| Hot, high takeoffs Departures at 5,000 ft density altitude or more | 5% | 0–17% | 2% | 0–9% |
| Density altitude Typical density altitude at takeoff | 1,715 ft | 1,272–2,386 ft | 1,654 ft | 1,371–2,183 ft |
Utilization
On flights a month, the gap between the types is smaller than the spread inside either fleet: the middle Phenom 100 at 5, the middle Eclipse 500/550 at 4.
How steadily each fleet is used: flights, flying days and estimated hours.
Flights a month
Where the two fleets sitSide by side
Every active Eclipse 500/550 (75) and every active Phenom 100 (135). Each type uses the tracking rule its own fleet page uses.| Measure | Eclipse 500/550 median | Middle half | Phenom 100 median | Middle half |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flights a month In the months it flew | 3.8 | 2.8–5.2 | 4.5 | 3.3–7.0 |
| Days flown a month Days with at least one flight | 2.8 | 2.3–3.7 | 3.2 | 2.5–5.0 |
| Estimated hours a year From time in the air | ≈56 h | 43–81 h | ≈67 h | 50–101 h |
Choosing between a Eclipse 500/550 and a Phenom 100?
Check both tails, not the types.
Enter the two tails on your shortlist. TailCheck grades each one on Fatigue, Corrosion, Engines and brakes, and Utilization against its own type, then puts them side by side.
Trip-length mix
55% of Eclipse 500/550 legs and 58% of Phenom 100 legs were under 300 nm, a gap of 3 percentage points; both flew 4% over 900 nm.
| Leg length (nm) | Eclipse 500/550 | Phenom 100 |
|---|---|---|
| <150 | 31% | 26% |
| 150–300 | 24% | 32% |
| 300–450 | 17% | 17% |
| 450–600 | 12% | 11% |
| 600–900 | 12% | 11% |
| 900–1,200 | 3% | 3% |
| 1,200–1,800 | 1% | 1% |
| 1,800+ | 0% | 0% |
Share of legs by length in nautical miles, 1 Aug 2025 – 31 Jul 2026: 3,258 legs by 75 Eclipse 500/550s and 9,502 legs by 135 Phenom 100s, every leg with a known distance. The Eclipse 500/550's trips bunch at <150 nm, the Phenom 100's at 150–300 nm.
Eclipse 500/550 vs Phenom 100: on paper
Certified figures come from each type certificate data sheet, the rest from the manufacturer. Each figure names its source; a range covers the variants one page tracks together; a dash means we don’t have a source for that figure yet. We don’t have a manufacturer source for the Phenom 100 yet, so its manufacturer rows show a dash.
| Measure | Eclipse 500/550 | Phenom 100 |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum takeoff weight (certified) | 6,000 lbEASA TCDS EASA.IM.A.171 Issue 08, p.9 | 10,472–10,703 lbEASA TCDS EASA.IM.A.157 Issue 9, p.9 |
| Fuel capacity (certified) | 251 US galEASA TCDS EASA.IM.A.171 Issue 08, p.8 | —Not in our sources yet |
| Maximum operating altitude (certified) | 41,000 ftEASA TCDS EASA.IM.A.171 Issue 08, p.8 | 41,000 ftEASA TCDS EASA.IM.A.157 Issue 9, p.8 |
| Passenger seats (certified) | Up to 5EASA TCDS EASA.IM.A.171 Issue 08, p.10 | Up to 6EASA TCDS EASA.IM.A.157 Issue 9, p.9 |
Eclipse 500/550 vs Phenom 100: questions
Which is flown more, the Eclipse 500/550 or the Phenom 100?
The Phenom 100, by about 11 estimated hours a year: the middle Phenom 100 flew ≈67 h a year, the middle Eclipse 500/550 ≈56 h. That is a fleet median: the middle half of Phenom 100s logged 50–101 h and of Eclipse 500/550s 43–81 h, so one aircraft can sit far from its type. In flights, the medians are 4 a month for the Eclipse 500/550 and 5 for the Phenom 100.
Which lands more often for its hours, the Eclipse 500/550 or the Phenom 100?
About the same: the middle aircraft of both types flies 1.2 hours per landing. More landings per hour means more pressurization cycles for the same time in the air. Short hops, legs under 300 nm, make up 54% of the middle Eclipse 500/550's legs and 50% of the middle Phenom 100's.
Which flies longer trips, the Eclipse 500/550 or the Phenom 100?
The Phenom 100, by 16 nm on the median leg: 297 nm for the middle aircraft, against 281 nm for the Eclipse 500/550. 55% of Eclipse 500/550 legs and 58% of Phenom 100 legs were under 300 nm, a gap of 3 percentage points; both flew 4% over 900 nm.
Which spends more nights by the sea, the Eclipse 500/550 or the Phenom 100?
About the same: the middle aircraft of both types spends 0% of its nights within 2 km of the coast. Salt air is one of the corrosion inputs a TailCheck report grades for one aircraft against its own type.
Does this comparison include the Eclipse 550?
Yes. The tracking data doesn't tell the Eclipse 500 and Eclipse 550 apart, so the Eclipse 500/550 figures here cover all of them. The specs table names a figure’s variants where the sources separate them.
Cite this data
The Aircraft Ledger. “Eclipse 500/550 vs Embraer Phenom 100.” Data to 31 July 2026. theaircraftledger.com/compare/eclipse-500-550-vs-embraer-phenom-100
Embed a chart
<iframe src="https://theaircraftledger.com/embed/compare/eclipse-500-550-vs-embraer-phenom-100/fatigue" title="Fatigue: Hours per landing" width="100%" height="360" style="border:0;max-width:960px" loading="lazy"></iframe>Method: Eclipse 500/550s and Phenom 100s with most departures in North America, ADS-B tracking. Flight measures cover 1 Aug 2025 – 31 Jul 2026; each figure is the median of its own fleet, with the middle half (25th–75th percentile). Estimated hours from time in the air. We assume the longest runway at each field, so short-runway figures are conservative. Specifications from type certificate data sheets and the manufacturers, each cited. About our data