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  1. Username Protected
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       #1  

    Phenom 300 AFM (rev 23), QRH (rev 22), POH (20) - new FCE Reset Button

    Embraer this morning released updated manuals for the Phenom 300. The latest revisions are now:

    AFM Rev 23
    QRH Rev 22
    POH Rev 20

    The primary change appears to be references to a new optional FCE reset button, which is implemented via SB 505-27-0031 (FCE Reset Panel installation, yet to be released).

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    FCE RESET SYSTEM (OPTIONAL)

    The FCE Reset System is an optional for airplanes Post-Mod. SB 505-27-0031 or with an equivalent modification factory-incorporated. It consists of a Flight Controls RESET Panel located at the LH Lateral Console in the cockpit. This panel is composed by a RESET Knob and a RESET Button which, combined, allow FCE 1 or FCE 2 reset.

    The function of the FCE Reset System is to manually reset the Flight Control Electronics (FCE) unit during abnormal condition. Under this condition, alerts indicating the loss of the systems under the referred failed FCE are displayed. Each failure scenario (FCE 1 or FCE 2) is identified as follows:

    – In case of an FCE 1 failure, the following messages will be triggered at once: PTRIM BKP FAIL, FLAP FAIL, SWPS FAULT and SPOILER FAULT.
    – In case of an FCE 2 failure, the following messages will be triggered at once: PTRIM NML FAIL, GND SPLR FAIL and SPOILER FAULT.
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    #2  
    I guess it was only a matter of time until “have you tried rebooting it” showed up at FL450…
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    #3  

    RE: New FCE Reset Button

    We had an FCE1 failure on a live leg and had to land no flap (fortunately at the passenger's destination). The fix is easy per the FOL and SL --reset the FCE1 or FCE2 circuit breaker. Unfortunately Embraer says that can only be done on the ground, so this is a welcome fix--but how much will it cost? Have had just one of these incidents so far in 800 hours. Apparently they can't fix the root cause so they came up with this.
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       #4  
    The FCE reset has now been released as SB505-27-0031 "FLIGHT CONTROLS - FLIGHT CONTROL ELECTRONICS (FCE) CONTROL PANEL INSTALLATION". It is only applicable to G3000 planes at this time (serial 123 onwards). I am a little unclear how this reset differs from pulling a circuit breaker?

    (1) HISTORY

    When a FCE fails, it stays in idle status (halt mode), the software freezes, all the communications stop, and the avionics can sense this loss of communication. Additionally, the adjacent FCE does not declare a failure. This bulletin gives instructions to install a new FCE Contol Panel used to cycle the electrical power for the failed FCE, to make its functions work again and the failure identified by the crew through messages shown on the CAS.

    (2) OBJECTIVE

    To install the Flight Control Electronics (FCE) control panel that has two switches, a rotary switch used to select the FCE to be reset, and a pushbutton used to send the reset command.

    (3) EXPECTED BENEFITS

    The FCE has auto-recovery functions. To exit the halt mode, it is necessary to cycle the power supply to the box (power down and power up). The failure response resets only the output registers. The FCE control panel installation increases the system availability and decreases the crew workload.
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    #5  
    Looking at the wiring diagram in the SB, I don't think it's any different from a CB reset. The new control panel controls a new relay that is inserted between the CB and the FCE, which allows the control panel to break and reconnect the circuit.

    If you want to know why they went to all this trouble for something that could just be a CB reset, I would guess it comes down to Embraer's philosophy that you should never pull circuit breakers in-flight (are there any in-flight procedures that require it? I don't think so).
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    #6  
    Quote Originally Posted by (Username Protected) View Post
    The FCE reset has now been released as SB505-27-0031 "FLIGHT CONTROLS - FLIGHT CONTROL ELECTRONICS (FCE) CONTROL PANEL INSTALLATION". It is only applicable to G3000 planes at this time (serial 123 onwards). I am a little unclear how this reset differs from pulling a circuit breaker.
    Look at how the applicable serial numbers skip over a lot of jets. Here’s why-nearly all of the included SN’s are NJ and Flex aircraft. During a discussion with Embraer regarding our upcoming annual we asked about having this SB done. We were told it’s only being offered to big fleet operators and not all 300’s. Ours is a G3000 airplane and it’s not included nor are any other privately owned G3000 jets I’ve flown.
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       #7  
    Good catch! Not sure why they would exclude non-fleet operators??
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    #8  
    Quote Originally Posted by (Username Protected) View Post
    Good catch! Not sure why they would exclude non-fleet operators??
    Probably much like the MTOW increase... They want you to pay to get your plane included. The big operators already negotiated.
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       #9  
    Quote Originally Posted by (Username Protected) View Post
    Probably much like the MTOW increase... They want you to pay to get your plane included. The big operators already negotiated.
    Ok yeah that would also make sense, that is the Embraer way of rolling out Service Bulletins. I remember when I first bought my Phenom 100 and asked for the ADS-B upgrade to be done during the pre-buy. The Service Center laughed and said slow down boy, Embraer only revises the ADS-B SB once per quarter. Argh.

    They are much faster now, I recently bought the MTOW SB and it only took two weeks for the revised SB to come out.
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    #10  
    Quote Originally Posted by (Username Protected) View Post
    Probably much like the MTOW increase... They want you to pay to get your plane included. The big operators already negotiated.
    On top of that, it’s 170 hours labor for the FCE SB. That’s conservatively $25K.
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    #11  

    USD 40k

    Last month, I had a FCE1 fail during a flight cruising at FL450 single pilot, and because I got a MAXSPEED warning, too, the autopilot disconnected. So I had to hand-fly the airplane and do a zero flaps landing.

    I was reading the checklist, and the July 2022 checklist says you need to reset FCE1. I was shocked to realize that I do not have this switch installed, although I picked up my brand new Phenom 300E in October 2022. Why does Embraer only install this switch to large operators like e.g. NetJets, but not in ALL new aircrafts?

    I asked for a quote to retrofit the SB, and the answer was USD 40k.

    I asked Embraer why I got the MAXSPEED warning, and got the reply that the G3000 did not know the correct flap position due to the FCE1 failure, thus assumed conservatively a full flap deployment. That cannot be, because my MAXSPEED warning disappeared below 200kts IAS. If Embraer's theory would be true, the MAXSPEED warning would only have disappeared below 160kts.

    Very disappointing from Embraer. Once more, an accident needs to happen before Embraer will install a FCE1/2 reset switch to ALL airplanes.

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