Raytheon Aircraft has postponed certification of its Premier I entry-level business jet to the second quarter of this year. Flight-test delays prevented the company meeting its target of certificating the aircraft by the end of last year - a year later than originally planned.
Three aircraft had accumulated over 720 flight hours by year-end, and a fourth Premier I - added to the test programme to help recover delays - is being prepared for flight.
Meanwhile, the first eight production aircraft are in final assembly, and Raytheon plans to begin deliveries as soon as US certification is received. The company has orders for over 200 of the type.
Further delays were avoided when Raytheon successfully repeated a static test in which the metal wing originally failed to meet its ultimate load requirement. In a November wing-up bending test, the upper right wing skin separated from the spar cap.
Source: Flight International
