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.

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Articles

By Fred George fred_george@aviationweek.com
Confronted by economic uncertainty and a vexing glut of good used aircraft, the market for new business jets remains largely stalled.
Business Aviation

By Fred George fred_george@aviationweek.com
The Cessna Citation CJ4 received mostly strong praise for its design, performance and reliability during our recent survey of operators. Respondents say it's fast, it can carry 900-plus pounds. with full tanks and it's easy for a pilot to fly alone. The CJ4 is the most-powerful, most-capable and most-expensive CitationJet family member yet offered by the Wichita firm.
Business Aviation

Fred George
The Hawker 200 is the latest victim of the prolonged economic downturn in the business jet industry. On Friday, Hawker Beechcraft Chairman and CEO Bill Boisture informed employees that the firm has decided “to slow the pace of completion of the Hawker 200 certification program” until the economy improves and the light-jet market segment improves. The announcement follows communiqués to vendors last month telling them to cease deliveries of parts for the Hawker 200.