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 (San Diego)
Hawker Beechcraft Co. (HBC) plans to ramp up production deliveries of its super-midsize Hawker 4000 later this year, now that the airplane has weathered a particularly thorny, prolonged development and certification program.

Fred George (San Diego)
The fifth-generation TB700N, marketed as the TBM850, boasts a 315-KTAS maximum cruise speed that enables it to fly 1,000+ naut. mi. with four passengers and land within about 10 min. of the Embraer Phenom 100, the fastest aircraft in the very light jet (VLJ) class.

Fred George
With a 117.4 foot wingspan, 110.3 feet overall length, and a tail four stories high, it’s hard to miss a BBJ sitting on an FBO ramp. It’s too large to be towed into most general aviation hangars. This is one very high-profile business jet.