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 U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware last week accepted a motion by Jeoffrey Burtch, trustee for insolvent Eclipse Aviation, to set Thursday, Aug. 20, as the date for a sales hearing for the assets of the insolvent VLJ start-up, according to court documents. The bankruptcy court’s decision follows Burtch’s acceptance last week of the $40-million lead or “stalking horse” bid for Eclipse Aviation’s assets offered by Mason Holland’s Eclipse Aerospace (BA, Aug. 10/64).

Fred George
The proposed sale of Cirrus Design’s SF50 Vision single-engine turbofan aircraft development program to company chairman Alan Klapmeier has reached an impasse. “It appears we’re too far apart on a number of things. We’re going to suspend negotiations,” Klapmeier said.

Fred George
Eclipse Aerospace, Inc., a firm founded by Eclipse 500 owners Mason Holland and Mike Press, has filed a $40 million “stalking horse bid” for the assets of insolvent Eclipse Aviation Corporation. The proposed asset-purchase agreement offers $20 million in cash and $20 million in new notes as a starting bid in an August 2009 asset auction, according to documents filed in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware.