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

Fred George [email protected]
Garmin International, which has helped revolutionize the cockpit of small aircraft with its flat-screen flight displays and GPS technologies, is setting its sights on larger business jets with the development of the G5000 integrated flight deck for Part 25 aircraft.

Fred George [email protected]
Honeywell Aerospace’s Green Jet biofuel could produce a 65% to 80% net reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, claims Ron Rich, vice president of propulsion. The fuel is slated for ASTM certification shortly, allowing it to be a “plug in” replacement for petroleum-based jet fuel. It already has been flight tested by four airlines and three military organizations.

Fred George
The Falcon 2000 has one of the largest cabin cross-sections of any transcontinental U.S. range twin turbofan jets and yet it burns fuel like a midsize aircraft. No large-cabin business aircraft can equal its fuel efficiency. Operators can fly eight passengers 3,000 nm in double-club comfort at long-range cruise and burn just over 10,000 lb of fuel, assuming the aircraft has the optional 36,700-lb MTOW. That’s enough range to fly East Coast to West Coast against 85% probability headwinds.