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
When Gulfstream announced the 7,000-nautical-mile-range G650 in March 2008, it got the attention of product planners at Bombardier Business Aircraft in Montreal, according to company insiders. The G650 gives Gulfstream an aircraft with a larger cabin diameter than Bombardier’s top-line Global Express XRS, along with higher cruise speeds, shorter runway requirements, better fuel efficiency, higher typical operating altitudes, and a lower cabin altitude.

Fred George
Today, half a million dollars goes a long way in the used light jet market, give or take $100,000. That’s the going price for almost any one of the first-generation 1982 through 1985 Mitsubishi Diamond IA aircraft. The aircraft’s oval-shaped fuselage cross section affords passengers more head, shoulder and foot room than most other light jets because they have circular cross sections.

Fred George
The first production-conforming 2,095-pounds-thrust HF120 GE Honda Aero Engine light turbofan engine was first run in test cell on Oct. 8.