Fred George

Chief Aircraft Evaluation Editor

San Diego, CA

Summary

Fred is a senior editor and chief pilot with Business & Commercial Aviation and Aviation Week's chief aircraft evaluation pilot. He has flown left seat in virtually every turbine-powered business jet produced in the past three decades.

He has flown more than 195 makes, models and variants, ranging from the Piper J-3 Cub through the latest Boeing and Airbus large twins, logging more than 7,000 hours of flight time. He has earned an Airline Transport Pilot certificate and six jet aircraft type ratings, and he remains an active pilot. Fred also specializes in avionics, aircraft systems and pilot technique reports.

Fred was the first aviation journalist to fly the Boeing 787, Airbus A350 and Gulfstream G650, among other new turbofan aircraft. He’s also flown the Airbus A400M, Howard 500, Airship 600, Dassault Rafale, Grumman HU-16 Albatross and Lockheed Constellation.

Prior to joining Aviation Week, he was an FAA designated pilot examiner [CE-500], instrument flight instructor and jet charter pilot and former U.S. Naval Aviator who made three cruises to the western Pacific while flying the McDonnell-Douglas F-4J Phantom II.

Fred has won numerous aviation journalism awards, including NBAA’s David W. Ewald Platinum Wing Lifetime Achievement Award.

Read more

Articles

By Fred George
Green shoots finally are popping up in the entry-level light jet market, after the segment entered a nosedive six years ago. Now, Textron Aviation, Embraer and HondaJet, the Big Three of the light jet manufacturers, are gearing up to take advantage of better times ahead with three distinctively different models, all priced at close to $4.5 million when comparably equipped.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Fred George
The Embraer Phenom 100’s Prodigy avionics package is a highly evolved and customized version of the Garmin G1000 system used in several other light turbofan aircraft, including the Cessna Citation Mustang. Embraer chose to fit the aircraft with three identical 12-in. AMLCDs having the same basic internal functionality. Any of them can assume the identity of a primary flight display or multifunction display. Using reversionary modes, this design feature allows the aircraft to be dispatched with one of the three displays inoperative.
Business Aviation

By Fred George
Rated at 1,695 lb. thrust to ISA+10C, the Pratt & Whitney Canada PW617F is scaled-up version of the PW615F that powers the Citation Mustang with hot-section durability improvements added to withstand the rigors of the high-cycle operating environment of air-taxi operations. An automatic performance reserve feature boosts engine output to 1,777 lb. thrust in the event of engine failure on takeoff, if APR is armed prior to takeoff roll.
Business Aviation