Beechcraft 390 (Premier I/IA)
Role	Business Jet Type of aircraft
Manufacturer	Raytheon/Hawker Beechcraft
First flight	December 22, 1998
Status	Active
Produced	2001-2012[1]
Number built	292[1]

The Beechcraft Premier I is a light business jet aircraft manufactured by the Beechcraft division of Hawker Beechcraft. The aircraft was designed to compete with the Cessna CitationJet series of aircraft.^[2]

Development

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.^[2] In the mid-1990s, the light jet was to be priced at $5 million.^[3]

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.^[2] Its FAA Type Certificate was issued on 23 March 2001.^[4] After development delays, the aircraft entered service in 2001 but with poor runway performance, erratic lift dump and brakes, a noisy cabin and a substandard cockpit. It was upgraded as the Premier IA in 2006 for $7 million with improved brakes, avionics and cabin, and 163 were built in five years.^[3] It was certified on 22 September 2005.^{[dubious – discuss]}

Premier II/Hawker 200

On 19 May 2008, Hawker Beechcraft announced the launch of the Premier II.^[5] Developed from the Premier IA, the new aircraft would feature higher cruise speeds, a 20% longer range with four passengers, and increased payload. The aircraft would continue to feature composite materials for the fuselage and have more powerful engines and new winglets to achieve performance improvements over the previous model. The first flight was scheduled for April 2009, with FAA certification planned for the first half of 2010.^[5] Hawker Beechcraft claimed to have received orders for over 70 new Premier IIs.^[6]

On 31 August 2009, the company indicated that it was slowing the development of the Premier II, moving its first delivery date into late 2012 or early 2013 due to the poor market for business aircraft. Company Chairman and CEO Bill Boisture stated: "While we remain fully committed to certifying and fielding the class-leading Premier II as designed, we must be prudent in our evaluation of the current and forecasted global economic environment. Based on these conditions, we have made the decision to extend the entry-into-service date to better align with the anticipated rebound of the business jet market."^[7][8]

In October 2010, Hawker Beechcraft announced that the Premier II had rebranded and upgraded as the Hawker 200.^[9][10]

In December 2011 the company announced that it was slowing down the development of the Hawker 200 jet due to the uncertain state of the economy. CEO Bill Boisture indicated the program was not canceled, saying that the aircraft program is "well positioned to continue...when the time is right."^[11]

After the bankruptcy of Hawker Beechcraft, the production of business jets ceased in 2013.

Design

The Premier I is constructed with a high-strength composite, carbon fiber/epoxy honeycomb structure 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.

Its cabin is nearly as wide as a Citation Excel with 3 in (76 mm) less headroom, and seating is 11.2 ft (3.4 m) long, similar to a CJ2, with a four-seat club plus two aft chairs and an enclosed, 2.3 ft (0.70 m) long aft lavatory. BOWs are usually around 8,400 lb (3,800 kg), leaving 570 lb (260 kg) for the payload at full tanks. The Premier 1A has a Mach 0.8 MMo, 451 kn (835 km/h) cruise at FL310 and a 817 lb (371 kg)/h fuel burn at 424 kn (785 km/h) and midweight. It can fly four passengers over 1,105 or 1,365 nmi (2,046 or 2,528 km) with two passengers and can take off within 3,792 ft (1,156 m) at ISA temperatures and sea-level.^[3]

Line maintenance comes at 200-hour intervals, A checks at 600 hours and B checks at 1,200 hours, plus calendar inspections, approximating $300 per hour (2019). Engine maintenance is budgeted for $300 per hour for both (2019), with 2,500-hour hot section inspections and 5,000 hour TBOs.

Variants

• Premier I - basic version, introduced in 2001.
• Premier IA - new cabin interior and improved systems.

Specifications (Premier IA)

Data from Hawker Beechcraft^[12]

General characteristics

• Crew: 1
• Capacity: 6 / 7
• Length: 46 ft 0 in (14.02 m)
• Wingspan: 44 ft 6 in (13.56 m)
• Height: 15 ft 4 in (4.67 m)
• Wing area: 246 sq ft (22.9 m²) ^[13]
• Aspect ratio: 8.03
• Empty weight: 8,600 lb (3,901 kg) Basic Operating
• Max takeoff weight: 12,500 lb (5,670 kg)
• Fuel capacity: 3,670 lb / 1,665 kg
• Max Payload: 1,400 lb / 635 kg
• Cabin Length × Width × Height: 13 ft 6 in × 5 ft 6 in × 5 ft 5 in (4.11 × 1.68 × 1.65 m)
• Hold: 76.9 cu. ft / 2.2 cu. m
• Powerplant: 2 × Williams FJ44-2A Turbofan, 2,300 lbf (10.23 kN) thrust each

Performance

• Maximum speed: 523 mph (841 km/h, 454 kn) max cruise
• Range: 950 mi (1,530 km, 830 nmi) Max Payload
• Ferry range: 1,710 mi (2,750 km, 1,480 nmi)
• Service ceiling: 41,000 ft (12,500 m)
• Wing loading: 50.6 lb/sq ft (247 kg/m²)
• Fuel consumption: 1.67^[3] lb/mi (0.47 kg/km)
• Thrust/weight: 0.37
• Take-off (MTOW): 3,792 ft / 1,156 m
• Landing (MLW): 3,177 ft / 968 m

Avionics

• Collins Pro Line 21

Incidents and accidents

On 17 August 2023, a PrivatePrive Raytheon 390 Premier I became uncontrollable on final approach to Kuala Lumpur-Subang-Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport runway 15 and crashed 5 kilometres short of the runway threshold, subsequently bursting into flames. A total of ten people were killed including Malaysian politician Datuk Johari Harun.^{[14][15][16][17]}