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
The Challenger 604 has 3,700-plus nm range, a cabin with a commodious cross section, good payload and good fuel efficiency. This also is an aircraft that has jetliner-like features that are well suited to transoceanic missions, including a split-bus AC electrical system, triple-redundant hydraulic system, fully powered flight controls and dual ACM packs. From 1996 to 2006, Bombardier delivered 366 of these versatile large-cabin aircraft.

Fred George
Learjet 35/36 aircraft can fly farther and faster than some of the latest light jets. Introduced in mid-1974, the Model 35 can fly six passengers 2,000 nm while cruising at 430 KTAS and land with NBAA IFR reserves. The Model 36, having 1,200 lb more fuselage fuel, but 3 ft. less cabin length, can fly 2,450 nm.

Kerry Lynch, Fred George
The Environmental Protection Agency last week reassured aviation officials that its recent advanced notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) on the use of lead in aviation gasoline was meant as a means to collect additional information, and says the agency has not established or proposed any deadline for banning the use of lead in avgas. EPA made those assurances in a July 27 letter to Robert Hackman, vice president of regulatory affairs for the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association.