Chad Trautvetter
Online Editor
Chad is the editor of AINalerts, AIN's daily business aviation newsletter, and is also the news editor at AIN Media Group. He has been writing about aviation, with an emphasis on business aviation, since 1994. Chad started his writing career at The Avion, the student newspaper at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida, serving as editor-in-chief before graduating with a bachelor's in aeronautical science. After a stint as managing editor at Professional Pilot magazine, he joined AIN in late 1998. Chad holds a commercial pilot certificated with instrument and multi-engine ratings, and he also is a CFI/CFII. He lives and works from his home in Venice, Florida.
Latest from Chad Trautvetter
Analyzing the GAMA 1Q10 aircraft delivery numbers
A couple observations from the GAMA 1Q general aviation aircraft delivery stats releas
2010 EBACE Could Be Second-largest Ever
Attendance at EBACE 2010 reached 11,106 registered visitors by the time the halls closed yesterday.
Aircraft
FAA Proposes More Testing for Smaller VLJs
The FAA issued a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) that would revise the requirement for function and reliability (F&R) flight testing to include tu
Aircraft
Mtow Increase OK’d for Kodiak
Sandpoint, Idaho-based Quest Aircraft received FAA approval to increase the mtow for its Kodiak turboprop single to 7,225 pounds, up from the existing 6,75
Washington Decides Against Aircraft Tax
NBAA applauded the Washington State legislature’s decision to scuttle a provision for an “onerous” tax proposal for aircraft in its annual spending bill.
Airbus Sees Asia as Important Bizjet Market
Airbus forecasts a market for about five large business jets a year in the Asia-Pacific region, the majority of them in mainland China.
Charter & Fractional
Avantair Plans To Double Its Fleet by 2014
Avantair continues to take deliveries of new Avanti II turboprop twins and expects to more than double the size of its all-Avanti fleet over the next three
Aircraft
G650 May Spawn G450/550 Replacements
AIN has learned that Gulfstream Aerospace is working on new designs that may leverage elements of the new G650.
Charter & Fractional
NFAA Suspends Darby’s Part 135 Certificate
The FAA issued an emergency order of suspension to Part 135 charter operator Darby Aviation/AlphaJet International on April 8.
Training and Workforce
Norton Aviation Adds E500, Phenom Training
The FAA designated Tom Norton as one of only two Eclipse 500 pilot examiners in the world, allowing Sarasota, Fla.-based Norton Aviation to offer in-aircra
Charter & Fractional
NTSB: Charter Accidents Down in 2009
According to the Safety Board, on-demand Part 135 operations had the lowest number of accidents and fatal accidents last year compared with any other time
Engines
GE Opening ‘More Electric’ R&D Center
GE Aviation plans to create an Electrical Power Integrated Systems Research & Development Center near Dayton, Ohio, to research more-electric aircraft
NBAA Challenges Portrayal of Barr
As news outlets such as USA Today picked up on ProPublica’s story on blocked aircraft registrations last month, NBAA stepped up to make a case for its Bloc
Accidents
NTSB Investigating Near-midair over SFO
The NTSB is investigating a near-midair between a United Airlines Boeing 777 and a Cessna 182 over San Francisco on March 27.
Engines
GE Begins Certification Testing for H80 T-prop
The first GE H80 turboprop engine recently began testing in a test cell at the GE Aviation Czech facility in Prague.
Maintenance and Modifications
‘Total Eclipse’ Program Bridges the Gap
Eclipse Aerospace started a program dubbed “Total Eclipse,” which allows customers to purchase final-configuration, pre-owned Eclipse 500s directly from th
Phenom Fly-in Draws Owners and Operators
About 30 people attended an Embraer Phenom owners and operators fly-in that was held in Naples, Fla., in late March.
Avionics
Honeywell To Provide Storm Warning Upgrades
Honeywell won a $49 million contract to upgrade the National Weather Service’s ground-radar, wind-profiler network that will predict severe storms earlier
FBOs
NBAA Offers Fuel-cost Savings Strategies
NBAA believes higher fuel prices are here to stay, but its new white paper, “Ten Critical Strategies for Long-Term Fuel Savings,” provides business aircraf
Florida Aerospace Academy Gets $8M Grant
Officials from the Sun ’n’ Fun Fly-In and the Polk County (Fla.) School Board last month broke ground on a $7.5 million facility that will house the Centra
Charter & Fractional
ExcelAire Optimistic about Charter Demand
David Rimmer, executive v-p of Ronkonkoma, N.Y.-based ExcelAire, told AIN that he believes the charter industry is entering its next upcycle.
Avionics
Pilot My-Cast by Garmin Now an Android App
Garmin announced at the Sun ’n’ Fun Fly-In in Lakeland, Fla., last month that its Pilot My-Cast aviation weather, flight planning and flight-plan filing ap
Aircraft
Hawker Beech Reorganizes Sales Division
Hawker Beechcraft revamped its global sales management team with the appointment of six new vice presidents.
Aircraft
Cessna Celebrates 25 Years of Caravans
Cessna Aircraft celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Caravan turboprop single at the Sun ’n’ Fun Fly-In last month in Lakeland, Fla.
Charter & Fractional
Flight Options Pilots Ratify Their First Contract
Just shy of four years since voting in the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 1108, the pilots at fractional provider Flight Options approved the
Aircraft
PiperJet Enters Detailed Design Phase
Piper Aircraft president and CEO Kevin Gould said at last month’s Sun ’n’ Fun Fly-In in Lakeland, Fla., that the PiperJet program is on track for certifica
Aircraft
Cessna certifies, delivers CJ4; Europe deliveries start in ’11
Cessna Aircraft delivered the first Citation CJ4 on April 15, just a month after obtaining type approval for the light twinjet from the U.S.
FAA to Pilots: Avoid Cockpit Distractions
While directed at the airlines, the FAA’s call yesterday for operators to create and enforce policies that will limit distractions in the cockpit and keep
Darby Aviation Fights FAA Suspension Order
In a five-page response to the FAA’s April 23 emergency order to suspend Darby Aviation’s Part 135 charter certificate, the company’s lawyers–Anderson and
ATA Declares 2010 ‘Day on the Hill’ a Success
The National Air Transportation Association’s (NATA) annual “Day on the Hill” attracted nearly 100 association members to the Capitol building in Washingto
