From The Archives: Premier Goes Premium

Our writer and pilot Edward H. Phillips took the controls of a Beechcraft Premier 1A and said: "Raytheon has made the Premier IA a better airplane. The Collins Pro Line 21 Integrated Flight Information System (IFIS) capabilities coupled with a new, more appealing and functional cabin interior should serve to keep the jet at the forefront of the highly competitive entry-level market segment."

He said the Pro Line system made programming the approach easy, "an important point for a jet airplane certified for single-pilot operations".

He left the cockpit to sit for a short while in the six-seat and noted the noise level in the cabin is about 2 dB lower than the Premier I. He returned to his seat in the cockpit and was given a demonstration of the electronic chart feature and how the IFIS  operates to provide pilots with a "wealth of information" not available in the Premier I version. 

The IFIS has a number of display options including electronic Jeppesen charts, XM graphical weather and Universal map overlays. 

Read more about the aircraft upgrades, specifications including capacities, weights, dimensions, engines, payload. See an image of the flight deck and the cabin interior. 

If you're a subscriber, you can read the full pilot report on page 56 in the Dec. 4, 2006 issue of Aviation Week & Space Technology.

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