Embraer E195 (X-Crafts)

The Embraer E195 by X-Crafts represents the stretched, high-capacity flagship of Embraer’s original E-Jet family in X-Plane 12. Certified to carry between 108 and 124 passengers, the real-world E195 bridges the divide between high-frequency regional routes and mainline narrowbody trunk services, flown by carriers including Breeze Airways, Azul Brazilian Airlines, LOT Polish Airlines, and Austrian Airlines. Powered by twin General Electric CF34-10E engines producing up to 20,000 pounds of thrust apiece, the E195 pairs increased gross weights and extended passenger capacity with the high flight-deck automation that made Embraer’s regional family a worldwide commercial success.

Understanding the Payware vs. Free Editions: Prospective pilots will encounter two distinct versions of the aircraft: X-Crafts' celebrated free community edition (released to mark the studio's 10-year anniversary) and the full commercial payware release cataloged here. While the freeware download serves as a welcome zero-cost entry point into X-Plane 12, it is a simplified rendition that relies heavily on default X-Plane autopilot routines, generic flight director logic, manual throttle adjustments during FLCH climbs, and simplified exterior meshes. In contrast, the $74.95 commercial package models the aircraft with true procedural fidelity: it features custom dual Flight Management Systems (FMS), fully automated vertical navigation (VNAV) with calculated Top of Descent (TOD), automated FMS speed scheduling, authentic autothrottle modes, custom fly-by-wire flight control laws, and high-definition PBR texturing throughout the flight deck and cabin.

In the cockpit, the payware E195 replicates Embraer’s Primus Epic avionics across five high-resolution displays, offering detailed system synoptics, custom autobrake and fuel management routines, and an innovative built-in ambient lighting modifier engineered specifically to overcome native X-Plane 12 flight deck shadow quirks. Long-fuselage geometry demands greater pitch awareness during departure rotation ($2^\circ$ to $3^\circ$ per second) and flare compared to the shorter E170/E175 to protect the extended rear underbelly. Backed by an Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) with SimBrief integration and a multi-channel FMOD sound package featuring selective noise-cancelling headset simulation, the X-Crafts E195 stands as a polished, high-capacity commuter workhorse for European and North American airline routes.

Primary Missions & Operational Roles

• High-Density Regional Hub-and-Spoke Routes: Operating high-capacity regional feeder routes connecting major hub cities with secondary commercial markets (e.g., Breeze Airways point-to-point US routes or LOT Polish rotations across Central Europe).

• Interline Feeder & Leisure Charter Schedules: Recreating scheduled operations for carriers like Azul across South America or regional holiday charter rotations across Western Europe.

• High-Automation Airline Operations: Practicing modern commercial airline procedures with managed VNAV descents, coupled RNAV/LPV approaches, and autothrottle thrust rating automation.

• Stretched Regional Jet Pitch Training: Mastering disciplined rotation rates at $V_R$ and touchdown flare control to manage pitch margins on the longest member of the E-Jet family.