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
Our world literally was turned upside down during our recent Eclipse 500 type rating program in Albuquerque. At one point during the training, we were hanging from our shoulder harness in negative 1 g flight, looking at the earth overhead and sky below, as we attempted to roll our jet back to level flight from a fully inverted position without losing any altitude. It's counter-intuitive to have to push forward on the flight controls to prevent the nose from falling to the horizon. Yet, that's precisely what was required at that moment.

Fred George
At EBACE 2008 in Geneva, Bombardier Aerospace officials announced that the Learjet 85, potentially the successor to the Learjet 60XR, will be powered by Pratt & Whitney Canada PW307B engines and will feature Rockwell Collins Pro Line Fusion avionics. Standard equipment also will include a Honeywell RE-100 APU, approved for inflight operation.

Fred George
First appearances may be deceiving. The Learjet 60XR, for instance, looks virtually identical to the Learjet 60, an aircraft that was certified in January 1993 as an amendment to the 1966 Learjet 24 type certificate.