Beechcraft Premier 1A: Buyer’s and Investor’s Guide
The Premier 1A is an upgrade of the Premier 1, Raytheon’s first business jet. Raytheon sold their aircraft division to Hawker Beechcraft and the Premier was integrated into the business jet part of the company. The company launched the Premier II, a further upgrade from the 1A but renamed it the Hawker 200 shortly after the launch.
The passenger cabin is 13 feet 6 inches long, 5 feet 5 inches high and 5 feet 6 inches wide giving a 315 cubic-foot cabin capable of carrying 7 passengers but typically it would carry 4 passengers comfortably. The aircraft is single pilot approved.
The cockpit is fitted with the Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 avionics suite with Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System (EGPWS) and Terrain Collision Avoidance System (TCAS II).
The Premier 1A needs 3,792 feet to take-off and a runway of 2,997 feet to land. The aircraft has a high speed cruise speed of 518 miles per hour. Premier 1A can fly 1,175 nautical miles carrying 4 passengers and has a certified ceiling of 41,000 feet.
Two Williams/Rolls-Royce FJ44-2A engines power the Premier 1A, each providing 2,300 pounds of thrust on take-off.
The Premier 1A fuselage is made of a high-strength carbon fibre/epoxy honeycomb composite. The aircraft is lightweight and almost never needs repairs.
A total of 297 were built airframes, a mix of Premier 1 and 1A. Only two examples of the Hawker 200 were built before the jet was cancelled
Hard facts
Range: 1,353 miles/2,177 kms/1,175 nautical miles
Typical passengers: 4 (typical), 7 (high density)
Typical crew: 1 or 2
Cabin space: 315 ft3 / 5.05 m3
Maximum Speed: 528 mph/850 kmph/mach 0.80
Recommended cruise: 518 mph/833 kmph/mach 0.785
Competitor aircraft: Learjet 40XR, Learjet 45XR, Citation Mustang, CJ1+, CJ2+, CJ3, CJ4, XLS+, Phenom 100, Phenom 300, SJ-30
Total cost for fully fitted new jet: $7.1m
Hourly operating cost: $3,750
First delivery: 2006
World fleet: 165 (July 2012)
Fractional operators include: N/A
Aircraft manufacturer: Beechcraft
Engine manufacturer: Williams
Engine type (number): FJ-44-2A (2)
