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
Raytheon Aircraft is breathing new life into its popular midsize Hawker business jet by splitting it into two new models, one that's value-priced and the other that has more range and better hot-and-high airport performance. The new value jet is called the Hawker 750 and it's priced at $11.95 million to make it highly competitive with other midsize jets such as the Bombardier Learjet 60XR, Cessna Citation XLS and Gulfstream G150.

Fred George
For $10 million less than the price of a Falcon 50, you can buy a Falcon 200 capable of flying up to 2,500 nm with nine passengers aboard in the same size cabin, operating out of a 5,200-foot runway on a standard day and always looking great on the ramp or in the air.

Fred George
When Orville and Wilbur Wright contacted 10 engine manufacturers in late 1902 to find a suitable powerplant for their Flyer, all they could find were designs that weighed 100 pounds, or more, per horsepower. Needing up to 12 hp to sustain flight, the Wrights couldn't put a 1,200-pound engine on their machine and hope to leave the surly bonds. So with help of mechanic Charles Taylor, they built their own 3.3-liter four-cylinder mill that weighed less than 200 pounds and produced 12 to 16 hp. It first ran in February 1903, but it had more than its share of growing pains.