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
Flat-panel multi-function display technology is much closer to becoming a reality in smaller business aircraft, now that Avidyne has obtained FAA TSO C63c radar interface certification, in addition to its TSO C113 EFIS and TSO C110 lightning sensor approvals (July, page 47).

By Fred George in Oshkosh, Wis.
At least four firms are developing diesel engines for non-turbine, high-performance light aircraft that will run on Jet A1, thereby freeing operators from dependency upon leaded high-octane avgas that is headed toward extinction early in the 21st century. The new diesels promise one-third better specific fuel consumption than current leaded gas piston engines.

Edited by Gordon A. GilbertFred George
Dassault Falcon Jet's 900B is getting a large-scale avionics upgrade and, in the process, will become the 900C. Certification efforts are underway using a Falcon 900B as the prototype. Customer deliveries are scheduled to start in early 2000 with serial number 180. (SN 179, the first actual 900C, will become a Dassault demonstrator.)