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.

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Articles

Fred George
What used midsize jet delivers the most bang-for-the-buck? Arguably, it's the Learjet 55. For less than $3 million, you get a 2,000-nm max range jet capable of carrying six to seven passengers. And with fuel prices nudging $5-plus per gallon at some FBOs, the Learjet 55's fuel miserliness -- it was conceived during the Arab oil embargo of the mid-1970s -- is a welcome bonus.

Fred George
An aircraft's fuel system has a more profound effect on aircraft performance than any other airframe system. Without fuel, the mission inevitably comes to an abrupt stop and, unless the flight crew is very, very lucky, the ensuing forced landing will cause severe or catastrophic aircraft damage. That reality has been a great motivator for turbine aircraft designers, builders, maintainers and pilots for the past 60 years. Most fuel system designs, as a result, are very robust and very reliable in service, assuming they're properly maintained and operated.

Fred George
By the mid-1970s, the light jet revolution was in full swing, with Cessna's Citation 1, Learjet 24 and the Dassault Falcon 10 taking center stage in the business aircraft market. These upstarts were problematic for Beech Aircraft because its existing King Airs lacked the ramp appeal and sporty performance offered by the new generation of light jets. King Airs were viewed by some as practical, utilitarian, efficient, responsible and, quite frankly, rather matronly.