Phenom 300 vs PC-24: how the two fleets are really flown
On three of the four chapters' lead measures, the gap inside each fleet is bigger than the gap between the Phenom 300 and the PC-24. The clearest difference is salt air: the middle Phenom 300 at 5%, the middle PC-24 at <1%.
Embraer Phenom 300 fleet statistics →Pilatus PC-24 fleet statistics →
Fatigue
On hours per landing, the gap between the types is smaller than the spread inside either fleet: the middle PC-24 at 1.4 : 1, the middle Phenom 300 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: 581 Phenom 300s and 151 PC-24s.| Measure | Phenom 300 median | Middle half | PC-24 median | Middle half |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hours per landing Each aircraft’s average flight hours per landing | 1.2 : 1 | 1.2–1.5 : 1 | 1.4 : 1 | 1.2–1.6 : 1 |
| Short hops Share of legs under 300 nm | 45% | 36–49% | 42% | 30–54% |
| Leg length Median leg | 344 nm | 303–424 nm | 361 nm | 279–473 nm |
Corrosion
On salt air, the types sit further apart than the middle half of either fleet spans: the middle Phenom 300 at 5%, the middle PC-24 at <1%.
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: 448 Phenom 300s and 94 PC-24s.| Measure | Phenom 300 median | Middle half | PC-24 median | Middle half |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salt air Nights within 2 km of the coast | 5% | 1–9% | <1% | 0–5% |
| Near the coast Nights within 10 km of the coast | 30% | 10–40% | 6% | 1–33% |
| Damp air Hours a day at 80% humidity or more, above freezing | 6.9 h | 5.9–7.8 h | 6.1 h | 4.2–7.6 h |
| Freeze–thaw Nights that froze and thawed within the day | 8% | 4–12% | 11% | 3–20% |
| Moisture in the air Average absolute humidity overnight | 10.0 g/m³ | 9.0–11.1 g/m³ | 8.2 g/m³ | 6.8–10.1 g/m³ |
Engines and brakes
On short runways, the gap between the types is smaller than the spread inside either fleet: the middle Phenom 300 at 2%, the middle PC-24 at 1%.
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: 581 Phenom 300s and 151 PC-24s.| Measure | Phenom 300 median | Middle half | PC-24 median | Middle half |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Short runways Departures where the longest runway was under 1.25× the takeoff distance | 2% | 0–3% | 1% | 0–2% |
| Hot, high takeoffs Departures at 5,000 ft density altitude or more | 6% | 3–9% | 6% | 2–12% |
| Density altitude Typical density altitude at takeoff | 1,523 ft | 1,358–1,782 ft | 1,473 ft | 1,214–2,048 ft |
Utilization
On flights a month, the gap between the types is smaller than the spread inside either fleet: the middle Phenom 300 at 17, the middle PC-24 at 10.
How steadily each fleet is used: flights, flying days and estimated hours.
Flights a month
Where the two fleets sitSide by side
Every active Phenom 300 (581) and PC-24s with at least 40% of their flights tracked (90). Each type uses the tracking rule its own fleet page uses.| Measure | Phenom 300 median | Middle half | PC-24 median | Middle half |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flights a month In the months it flew | 17.1 | 5.2–37.3 | 9.5 | 6.2–23.6 |
| Days flown a month Days with at least one flight | 9.5 | 4.1–16.6 | 6.1 | 4.7–11.4 |
| Estimated hours a year From time in the air | ≈272 h | 96–550 h | ≈159 h | 108–345 h |
Choosing between a Phenom 300 and a PC-24?
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
Both fleets flew 45% of their legs under 300 nm; 9% of Phenom 300 legs and 11% of PC-24 legs were over 900 nm.
| Leg length (nm) | Phenom 300 | PC-24 |
|---|---|---|
| <150 | 20% | 20% |
| 150–300 | 25% | 25% |
| 300–450 | 17% | 16% |
| 450–600 | 12% | 12% |
| 600–900 | 16% | 16% |
| 900–1,200 | 7% | 8% |
| 1,200–1,800 | 2% | 3% |
| 1,800+ | 0% | 0% |
Share of legs by length in nautical miles, 1 Aug 2025 – 31 Jul 2026: 136,814 legs by 581 Phenom 300s and 16,990 legs by 151 PC-24s, every leg with a known distance. The Phenom 300's trips bunch at 150–300 nm, the PC-24's at 150–300 nm.
Phenom 300 vs PC-24: 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.
| Measure | Phenom 300 | PC-24 |
|---|---|---|
| Range (manufacturer) | 2,010 nm (Phenom 300E)Manufacturer (brochure, 2025) | 2,000 nmManufacturer (spec page, Web page, retrieved 21 Oct 2026) |
| High-speed cruise (manufacturer) | 464 kt (Phenom 300E)Manufacturer (brochure, 2025) | 440 ktManufacturer (spec page, Web page, retrieved 21 Oct 2026) |
| Takeoff distance (manufacturer) | 3,209 ft (Phenom 300E)Manufacturer (brochure, 2025) | 3,090 ftManufacturer (spec page, Web page, retrieved 21 Oct 2026) |
| Maximum takeoff weight (certified) | 17,968–18,551 lbUK CAA TCDS UK.TC.A.00091 Issue 4, p.8 | 17,650–18,740 lbUK CAA TCDS UK.TC.A.00033 Issue 2, p.8 |
| Fuel capacity (certified) | —Not in our sources yet | 5,964 lbUK CAA TCDS UK.TC.A.00033 Issue 2, p.7 |
| Maximum operating altitude (certified) | 45,000 ftEASA TCDS EASA.IM.A.158 Issue 11, p.9 | 45,000 ftUK CAA TCDS UK.TC.A.00033 Issue 2, p.7 |
| Passenger seats (certified) | Up to 9EASA TCDS EASA.IM.A.158 Issue 11, p.10 | Up to 10UK CAA TCDS UK.TC.A.00033 Issue 2, p.9 |
Phenom 300 vs PC-24: questions
Which is flown more, the Phenom 300 or the PC-24?
The Phenom 300, by about 113 estimated hours a year: the middle Phenom 300 flew ≈272 h a year, the middle PC-24 ≈159 h. That is a fleet median: the middle half of Phenom 300s logged 96–550 h and of PC-24s 108–345 h, so one aircraft can sit far from its type. In flights, the medians are 17 a month for the Phenom 300 and 10 for the PC-24.
Which lands more often for its hours, the Phenom 300 or the PC-24?
The Phenom 300: its middle aircraft flies 1.2 hours per landing, against 1.4 for the PC-24, 0.2 hours fewer 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 45% of the middle Phenom 300's legs and 42% of the middle PC-24's.
Which flies longer trips, the Phenom 300 or the PC-24?
The PC-24, by 17 nm on the median leg: 361 nm for the middle aircraft, against 344 nm for the Phenom 300. Both fleets flew 45% of their legs under 300 nm; 9% of Phenom 300 legs and 11% of PC-24 legs were over 900 nm.
Which spends more nights by the sea, the Phenom 300 or the PC-24?
The Phenom 300, by 5 percentage points: its middle aircraft spends 5% of its nights within 2 km of the coast, the middle PC-24 <1%. Salt air is one of the corrosion inputs a TailCheck report grades for one aircraft against its own type.
Which has the longer range on paper, the Phenom 300 or the PC-24?
The manufacturers quote 2,010 nm (Phenom 300E) for the Phenom 300 and 2,000 nm for the PC-24. Those are book figures at stated conditions; how far the fleets actually fly is in the trip-length mix above.
Does this comparison include the Phenom 300E?
Yes. The tracking data doesn't tell the Phenom 300 and Phenom 300E apart, so the Phenom 300 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. “Embraer Phenom 300 vs Pilatus PC-24.” Data to 31 July 2026. theaircraftledger.com/compare/embraer-phenom-300-vs-pilatus-pc-24
Method: Phenom 300s and PC-24s 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