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
Jan. 24, 2008 perhaps was one of the most pivotal days in Cessna's recent history. On that day, the board of directors at Textron, Cessna's corporate parent, gave the firm the go-ahead to develop the Columbus, the largest and longest range Citation ever. Notably, Cessna estimates that the Columbus will cost $775 million to bring to market, more than twice the original investment in the Citation X, which has been Cessna's most expensive development program.

Fred George
By the early 1960s, the Twin Commander aircraft line had reached the limits of available piston-engine power, so Rockwell Standard, the aircraft manufacturer, elected to upgrade to turbine power. The 1965 Rockwell Model 680T Turbo Commander was first in a new family of turboprops based on the Twin Commander design. Powered by two 575-shp Garrett AiResearch TPE331 engines, it offered a 50-percent horsepower boost compared to a Lycoming-powered Twin Commander, plus more range, considerably greater reliability and almost triple the time between overhauls.

Fred George
Sean Roberts, director of the National Test Pilot School in Mojave, Calif., shocked plenty of the 500-plus participants at Bombardier's 2007 Safety Standdown during his Advanced Aerodynamics class session. In 120 minutes, he clearly demonstrated that there are multiple ways you can inadvertently overstress, if not terminally damage, an airplane while flying in everyday situations.