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

By Fred George, in Wichita
Bombardier Aerospace flew its new Continental business jet for the first time on August 14 in Wichita. The aircraft reached an altitude of 17,500 feet and speeds of up to 200 knots during the two-hour flight, which was designed to investigate the Continental's handling qualities and systems functions. Jim Dwyer, manager of Learjet flight test programs and Continental Project test pilot, flew the aircraft with test pilot Ed Grabman.

Fred George
Honeywell recently received approval from France's DGAC and the U.S. FAA for retrofitting TFE731-40 turbofan engines to the Dassault Falcon 50, essentially transforming the older Falcon tri-jet into a Falcon 50EX. The $5.3 million upgrade package includes engines, increased rudder authority and other systems modifications. The conversion also requires retrofitting the aircraft with a $2.3 million Rockwell Collins Pro Line 4 avionics package. Honeywell, though, plans to offer customers an up to $1 million trade-in credit for their old -3 engines.

Fred George
Lee Monson, Boeing Business Jets' sales vice president, will succeed Borge Boeskov as BBJ president, when the latter reaches Boeing's mandatory retirement age of 65 in June 2002. Boeskov's leadership and BBJ team efforts have resulted in 71 announced sales and 56 green aircraft deliveries to completion centers, four of which are BBJ2s. There are currently 32 BBJs in service. Eight to 10 more aircraft will enter service before the end of the year, according to Monson.