Embraer ERJ 135 (X-Crafts)

The Embraer ERJ 135 (EMB 135) by X-Crafts brings the smallest, most agile variant of Embraer’s classic regional jet family into native X-Plane 12. Seating up to 37 passengers in a classic 1-2 cabin arrangement, the real-world ERJ 135 was developed by shrinking the fuselage of the baseline ERJ 145 by roughly 11.5 feet while retaining the same wings, empennage, and flight deck. In commercial aviation, the airframe served as an essential thin-route connector for regional brands like American Eagle, Continental Express, and Chautauqua Airlines, as well as finding enduring popularity with corporate flight departments, regional charter operators, and carriers like Airlink in Southern Africa and Contour Airlines in the US. In native X-Plane 12, X-Crafts delivers the aircraft under its completely rebuilt "v2" generation. Powered by twin rear-mounted Rolls-Royce (Allison) AE 3007A1/3 turbofans delivering roughly 7,400 pounds of thrust apiece, the ERJ 135 boasts the highest thrust-to-weight ratio in the family. The flight dynamics—tuned and validated in partnership with Cameron Son (X-Aerodynamics) and verified by type-rated ERJ line pilots—capture a remarkably responsive, hands-on flight envelope. Unlike modern fly-by-wire airliners, the ERJ relies on direct hydromechanical controls with artificial feel units, giving pilots a direct, tactile connection to the flight surfaces. On the flight deck, the aircraft features Honeywell’s Primus 1000 avionics suite across five high-visibility CRT/LCD screens (dual PFDs, dual MFDs, and a central EICAS) alongside an authentic Thrust Rating Panel (TRP) for setting FADEC takeoff, climb, and cruise thrust modes. Navigation is driven by a custom-coded Flight Management System (FMS) capable of handling real-world procedures including holding patterns, flyover waypoints, DME arcs, and custom intercepts. To bridge the gap for pilots new to Honeywell regional workflows, X-Crafts incorporates their proprietary AirComms™ system—an interactive, on-screen guidance copilot that delivers contextual prompt checklists and system reminders from cold-and-dark through engine shutdown. Combined with an Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) offering direct SimBrief dispatch, takeoff/landing performance calculations, and AviTab integration, the ERJ 135 serves as one of the most character-rich regional commuter jets in the simulator. Primary Missions & Operational Roles Thin-Market Regional Feeder Operations: Flying sub-hour commuter routes connecting small spoke communities to metropolitan airline hubs (e.g., Charlotte to Beckley, Chicago O'Hare to regional Midwest fields, or Johannesburg to regional African airfields). On-Demand Corporate & VIP Shuttles: Operating executive and college athletics team charters into secondary airports and short regional runways. Hands-On Manual Throttle & Energy Management Training: Mastering regional jet flying without autothrottles, requiring continuous manual power and pitch coordination across climb, level-off, step climbs, and final approach. Short-Field Regional Jet Flights: Taking advantage of the ERJ 135’s compact fuselage, generous tailstrike margin, and high power-to-weight ratio to operate out of constrained runways with rapid climb-out gradients.