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 we last assessed Cessna's 441 Conquest II a few years ago, its blend of speed, range and fuel efficiency, coupled with its handling ease and strong OEI performance, seemed to make it an ideal turboprop in the resale market in an era of rising fuel prices.

Fred George
Some time this month, Cessna's Citation CJ4 is scheduled to make it first flight, marking a significant on-time milestone toward its FAR Part 23 Commuter Category certification and entry into service in the first half of 2010. The fourth and newest member of the Citation CJ family was put on a 45-month, fast-track certification scheduled following its public introduction at the October 2006 NBAA Convention in Orlando, a development cycle virtually unprecedented in the business aircraft industry.

Fred George
A s a key emerging safety technology in 21st century avionics, few developments can equal Synthetic Vision Systems (SVS), which provide a virtual VFR window on the outside world in conditions of visual obscuration or darkness, thus providing unprecedented situational awareness. Using SVS, pilots can spot terrain and obstacles, among other potential hazards, long before they might have otherwise placed their aircraft in jeopardy.