Fred George

Chief Aircraft Evaluation Editor

Redmond, Oregon

Summary

Fred formerly served as senior editor and chief pilot with Business & Commercial Aviation and as Aviation Week & Space Technology's chief aircraft evaluation pilot. He has flown left seat in virtually every turbine-powered business jet produced in the past three decades. He now is managing member of Fred George Aero LLC of Redmond, Oregon.

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.

Read more

Articles

Fred George [email protected]
If possible: (1) Put the aircraft in a heated hangar. If left outside: (2) Park facing the wind and clamp on the covers. (3) Put liquids, gels, sauces, etc. in a warm place. (4) Drain potable and gray water systems (don't forget the self-filling coffee pot). Once operating: (5) Apply brakes several times while taxiing out. (6) Refer to braking action reports. (7) Use deice/anti-ice fluids, as appropriate.
Business Aviation

Fred George [email protected]
As winter approaches, flight crews are gearing up for the heart of the icing season. Virtually all of them are aware of the potentially lethal consequences of attempting to take off with airframe ice contamination. But some pilots think that minor ice contamination has little, if any, effect on aircraft performance.
Business Aviation

Fred George [email protected]
Rated at up to 11,450-lb. takeoff thrust for the Falcon 5X, the Silvercrest features a 42.5-in. fan with double-swept, wide-chord blades and a 5.9:1 bypass ratio, one of the highest in this thrust class. Aft of the fan, there is a four-stage, axial flow, low-pressure compressor (or supercharger) on the same shaft. The fan and supercharger are powered by a four-stage low-pressure turbine. The high-pressure core features four axial-flow compressor blisks, plus a centrifugal flow compressor — a first for this thrust class.
Business Aviation