Exactly 24 years ago today the Beechcraft Premier I made its first flight from the Beech Factory Airport (BEC) in Wichita, Kansas. Designed to compete with the Cessna CitationJet series of aircraft, the concept for the Beechcraft Premier I was dreamed up in 1994. First called the PD-374 (PD for Preliminary Design), the plane's development started early the following year.

The Beechcraft Premier I was officially launched in 1995 at the National Business Aviation Association Convention in Las Vegas, Nevada. Construction of the aircraft then began in late 1996, with Raytheon/Hawker Beechcraft pricing the small business jet at $5 million.

The prototype rolled out of the factory in August 1998

The first of four prototypes built for testing rolled out of the Wichita factory on August 19, 1998, and made its maiden flight four months later in December. Its Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) airworthiness certificate was then issued on March 23, 2001. The aircraft featured a fuselage manufactured on a computer-automated machine that dramatically reduced production time.

After some delays, the plane eventually entered service in 2001, but it had several issues. These included poor runway braking performance, a noisy cabin, and a substandard cockpit. The plane's hydraulics leaked, and the air conditioner overheated and failed. Overhead panels fastened to the cabin's ceiling would come loose and fall on passengers' heads.

The Premier IA

To address the problems, the Premier IA debuted in 2006, featuring better braking performance, upgraded avionics, and a nicer, quieter cabin. The drawback was that the plane now had a price tag of $7 million.

The Premier IA and the original plane looked the same and had the same engines, but that is where the similarities ended. Many argued that the problems pilots had with the Premier I was that many of them were transitioning to jets from propellor-driven planes. These new jet pilots brought bad habits like landing too fast or with a tailwind, something you shouldn't do but can get away with in a turboprop.

Specifications and general characteristics of the Premier IA

  • Crew: One
  • Capacity: Up to a maximum of seven passengers
  • Length: 46 feet
  • Wingspan: 44 feet 6 inches
  • Height: 15 feet 4 inches
  • Wing area: 246 square feet
  • Empty weight: 8,600 lbs
  • Max takeoff weight: 12,500 lbs
  • Fuel capacity: 3,670 lbs
  • Max Payload: 1,400 lbs
  • Cabin Length × Width × Height: 13 feet 6 inches × 5 feet 6 inches × 5 feet 5 inches
  • Hold: 76.9 cubic feet
  • Powerplant: 2 × Williams FJ44-2A Turbofan, 2,300 lbf (10.23 kN) thrust each

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 523 mph
  • Range: 950 miles
  • Service ceiling: 41,000 feet

On May 19, 2008, Hawker Beechcraft announced they were developing a new version of the Premier IA called the "Premier II/Hawker 200." The new plane featured a 20% longer range and an improved cruising speed. With more powerful engines and winglets, it would perform much better than the earlier models. As demand for business jets cooled as the world went into recession, the company slowed down the development of the Premier II and kept pushing back its launch date.

On May 3, 2012, Hawker Beechcraft filed for bankruptcy Hawker Beechcraft on May 3, 2012, and the production of business jets ceased in 2013. Between 2001 and 2012, a total of 292 Beechcraft Premier aircraft were built during its production.