At a press conference here on Monday, Premier Aircraft, a joint venture between Premier Air Center and Yankee Pacific Aerospace, detailed its new Falcon 50-4 program. Premier worked with Honeywell on the upgrade, which replaces the Falcon 50’s TFE731-3-1C and TFE731-3D-1 engines with new TFE731-4-1C engines. The upgrade includes minor modifications to the nacelles and engine instruments. List price is $2.305 million, but for its maintenance service plan (MSP) customers, Honeywell will apply MSP payments against the conversion.

Flight tests are being done at Flight Test Associates in Mojave, Calif., and the first phase was completed at the end of August. STC is expected in December and launch customers have been signed up. One of these, Chick-fil-A, will have the Falcon 50-4 as the flagship airplane in its aircraft management and charter business.

The upgrade promises higher climb and cruise thrust, lower fuel consumption, 25 percent greater range attributed to enhanced high-hot performance, reduced time to climb to higher initial cruise altitude and reduced MSP rates. The conversion includes a special three-year/1,800-hour engine warranty.

Premier designed a complete new interior for the 50 with LED lighting and pleated window shades. Not to be outdone, its avionics shop came up with a Universal EFI-890R package earlier this year, which includes an electronic engine display replacing existing instruments. Another package, for the Collins Pro Line 21, will be STC’d by January.    –M.S.