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 fred_george@aviationweek.com
Recently issued IRS rulings pertaining to liability for Federal Excise Taxes (FET), disallowance of accelerated depreciation deductions and tightened requirements for passive loss write-offs potentially threaten to hike costs for business aircraft operators. So warned attorney Keith Swirsky at the 13th annual Dassault Falcon Jet Aviation Professionals Conference held in May.

Fred George (Wichita, Kan.)
Hawker Beechcraft Corp. is morphing its T-6B Texan II military trainer into the AT-6B, a welterweight contender in the U.S. Air Force’s upcoming Light-Attack and Armed Reconnaissance (LAAR) competition. The attack variant utilizes a beefed-up T-6 airframe, capable of carrying 3,350 lb. of external stores on six wing hardpoints. For Mil-Spec-1760 “smart weapons” delivery, AT-6 is being fitted with the A-10C’s Central Interface Control Unit (CICU) mission computer, providing net-centric secure data-link communications capability.

Fred George
BCA Equipped Price $3,670,000 Characteristics Wing Loading 34.4 Power Loading 9.53 Noise (EPNdB) 76 Seating 1+7/6 Dimensions (ft/m) External Length 35.6/10.82 Height 14.3/4.34 Span 53.8/16.35 Internal Length 9.3/2.8 Height 8.5/2.6 Width (maximum) 4.5/1.4 Width (floor) 4.1/1.2 Thrust Engine 2 PWC PT6A-135A Output (lb each) 550 shp ea. Flat Rating OAT°C ISA+30°C+