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
New Eclipse Acquisition LLC, a start-up company founded by Phil Friedman of Wichita-based Harlow Aerostructures, Friday announced plans to bid for the assets of bankrupt Eclipse Aviation during its upcoming Chapter 7 liquidation auction. Eclipse Aviation officials have given up on attempting to resurrect the bankrupt firm by means of Chapter 11 reorganization and instead filed a motion to proceed directly to Chapter 7 liquidation of all assets.

Fred George
The Hawker Beechcraft Super King Air 350 is one of the most versatile business aircraft ever built. Operators can fill the tanks, belt in eight 200-pound passengers, depart from a 3,300-foot runway and fly more than 1,500 nm. It is the series ultimate, offering a 17-plus-foot-long cabin with room for two seating areas, plus an aft lavatory and a 550-pound, 55.3-cubic-foot-capacity internally accessible baggage compartment. The market recognizes its value and versatility. More than 600 units have been delivered since its introduction in fall 1990.

Fred George
Bankrupt Eclipse Aviation furloughed 800 of its 850 employees last week as a result of a longer-than-expected sale of its assets to EclipseJet Aviation International, a subsidiary of Luxembourg-based ETIRC Aviation. The U.S. Bankruptcy Court District of Delaware last month approved the sale, but Mike McConnell, president and GM of Eclipse Aviation’s customer division, said the deal “is taking a lot longer than anyone expected.”