Beechcraft Premier I

Premier I/IA
Role	Business Jet
Manufacturer	Raytheon/Hawker Beechcraft
First flight	December 22, 1998
Status	Active
Produced	1998-2013
Number built	298
Unit cost	US$ 7.1 million (2012)
Variants	Hawker 200

The Beechcraft Premier I is a light jet business aircraft manufactured by the Beechcraft division of Hawker Beechcraft. The aircraft was designed to compete with the Cessna CitationJet series of aircraft.

Design of the Premier I began early in 1994 under the designation PD-374 (PD for Preliminary Design), and development was authorized to continue early the following year. The aircraft was officially launched at the annual National Business Aviation Association Convention in September 1995 and construction of the first prototype commenced late in 1996.

The Premier I prototype was rolled out on 19 August 1998 and its first flight was on 22 December 1998; four prototypes were used in the flight test program and its FAA Type Certificate was issued on 23 March 2001. On 22 September 2005, the upgraded Premier IA was certified.

The Premier I is constructed with a high-strength composite, carbon fiber/epoxy honeycomb fuselage. The Premier I and IA can be certified as light aircraft for operation by a single pilot. The powerplants are Williams International FJ44-2A engines.

The Premier I cabin internal dimensions are: 13 ft 6 in (4.11 m) long by 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m) wide by 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m) tall, with a folding table, four club-type seats, two forward-facing seats and a partitioned aft toilet.

Data from Jane's All The World's Aircraft 2003–2004

General characteristics

Performance