PREMIER UPGRADE PROGRAM STATUS
2023-9-18 | GLOBAL AVIATION TECHNOLOGIES MARKETING
Global Aviation Technologies (GAT) launched the Premier Elite program in 2020 at NBAA. The Premier Elite Program consists of the following elements:
- Increase Gross Weight
- Auxiliary Fuel Tanks
- Winglets
- Increase Operating Altitude
After discussions with Premier Operators the decision was made to focus on the Increase Gross Weight upgrade first. The approach to tackle Increase Gross Weight first made sense because it establishes the foundation for the Premier Elite upgrade program.
The FAA Project No. ST068789WI-A was issued by the Wichita ACO office November 16, 2021. The Project Specific Certification Plan (PSCP) was submitted and reviewed by the ACO. Due to the Increase Gross Weight upgrade, from 12,500 to ~13,800, the Premier moves from Normal Category to Commuter Category.
Under Commuter Category there were (5) 14 CFR Part 23 rules that could not be met due to the aircraft being out of production and it would be economical to attempt to meet those regulations. Given the fact these (5) rules are part of the Certification Basis for the Increase Gross Weight upgrade, we (GAT) has submitted an exemption request to the FAA. The exemptions were under (3) GAT Correspondence Letters:
- L5572-03-2023-0032 dated March 17, 2023
- L5572-03-2023-0033 dated March 17, 2023
- L5572-03-2023-0034 dated March 17, 2023
EXEMPTION ACKNOWLEDGED
The exemptions have been acknowledged by the FAA and assigned the following FAA Docket No.’s:
- FAA-2023-0754-0001
- FAA-2023-0741-0001
- FAA-2023-0753-0001
The FAA Policy group out of Washington DC has provided comments to the original submittal letters. Responses were dated August 10, 2023. We have responded to those comments under the following GAT Correspondence Letters:
- L5572-08-2023-0097 dated September 8, 2023
- L5572-08-2023-0096 dated August 17, 2023
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We are currently waiting on response from the FAA from our responses to the FAA comments.
We have also been informed by the Wichita ACO that there is one rule which requires and FAA Issue Paper. The Issue Paper is being drafted by the Wichita ACO prior to being submitted to the FAA Policy branch.
Once we get the exemption requests accepted/approved this will establish the Certification Basis for the Increase Gross Weight upgrade, and pave the way for the Increase Gross Weight upgrade program completion.
This has been a long and arduous process, interrupted by COVID as the company made the decision to focus on revenue generating programs.
Global Aviation Technologies is committed to keeping the Premier aircraft relevant in today’s discussions and discussions tomorrow. We are working with the FAA to obtain FAA PMA approval for parts that are no longer available by the OEM.
Updates/status to the Premier Increase Gross Weight program and other upgrade programs for the Premier aircraft will be placed on the GAT website, https://gatict.com/airframes/premier-1a/. Your support of our efforts is greatly appreciated. If there are any questions, feel free to reach out to members of the GAT team.