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
UBS: Bizjet Flight Activity Decline Continues
Business jet flight activity last month fell 19 percent from the same period a year earlier, although that was better than November’s 25-percent drop-off,
ATC
406-MHz ELT Requirement Starts Next Month
The FAA Safety Team yesterday issued a notice to remind aircraft operators that satellite monitoring of 121.5-MHz emergency locator transmitters (ELTs) wil
Regulations and Government
Piper Confirms Layoffs, Still Seeks Incentive Money
Vero Beach, Fla.-based Piper Aircraft confirmed that it laid off 150 employees, company CEO Jim Bass told Indian River County commissioners at a general me
Aircraft
Cessna’s New Products Unhampered by Downturn
Cessna Aircraft yesterday confirmed that, global economic woes aside, it is moving forward on new product development projects, including the Citation Colu
Avionics
CMC Investing $150M in Next Avionics FronTier
Montreal-based CMC Electronics announced plans on Tuesday to invest nearly $150 million in research and development for a new integrated avionics suite cal
Bizav Mourns Loss of Former NBAA Chief Winant
John Winant, 85, president of NBAA from 1971 to 1986 and a “critical player in the evolution of business aviation,” died Tuesday at his home in Williamstow
Accidents
Pilot Tried To Fake Death in Meridian Crash
Marcus Schrenker, a 38-year-old financial manager under investigation by the SEC, apparently attempted to fake his own death on Sunday by parachuting from
Regulations and Government
NBAA: TARP Language Could Harm GA Industry
NBAA is fighting to eliminate from a bill to reform the Troubled Assets Relief Program (TARP) wording that would “require divestment of private aircraft or
Bizjet Backlogs Shaky as Used Inventory, Slots Climb
Two separate analyst reports issued this week by UBS Investment Research and Brian Foley and Associates note that business jet order backlogs are at increa
More Layoffs Pending at Cessna, Hawker Beechcraft
The healthy backlogs that Cessna and Hawker Beechcraft thought they had six months ago apparently haven’t been able to weather the worldwide recession, wit
UBS: Business Jet Flight Activity Down 11% YTD
UBS Investment Research’s recently issued business jet update indicates that flight activity, m
Aircraft
Hong kong firm takes first a318
BAA Jet Management last month took delivery of its first managed Airbus, an A318 Elite, making the Hong Kong-based company the first in Asia to operate the
UBS Bizjet Market Snapshot Isn’t a Pretty Picture
UBS Investment Research’s Business Jet Survey that was released today is a sobering account of the recession’s toll on the U.S.
Security
e-APIS Rules in Effect, Compliance Not Yet Mandatory
The Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) new rule that requires general aviation pilots to file passenger names and other information to government offi
Security
TSA Schedules Public Hearings on GA Security Proposal
The TSA yesterday announced that it will hold five official public hearings next month for the business aviation community to provide feedback on the agenc
ATC
ADIZ Now a Permanent Washington Landmark
Despite heavy opposition by pilots and aviation alphabet groups, airspace restrictions and procedures implemented around Washington, D.C., after 9/11–namel
Consultant: Bizav Recovery Coming Sooner, Not Later
Sparta, N.J.-based business aviation consultancy Brian Foley Associates today said it believes the recovery of the business jet market will be sooner than
ATC
FAA Signs NetJets as Newest NextGen Partner
Columbus, Ohio-based fractional provider NetJets Aviation on Friday forged an agreement with the FAA to become the agency’s latest NextGen partner.
Security
Report Blames U.S. Pilots, Controllers for Brazil Midair
According to reports in several Brazilian newspapers, U.S.
Bizjet Market Deteriorating Rapidly, UBS Report Says
According to a UBS Investment Research report issued yesterday, the business jet market “is deteriorating at an accelerating rate” as pre-owned inventory c
Embraer Breaks Ground on Florida Phenom Facility
Florida Gov.
UK Firm Completes Avro RJ70 Exec Conversion
BAE Systems Regional Aircraft last week announced that its London Stansted airport-based partner, Inflite Engineering, completed the first conversion in th
With A700 On Hold, AAIA Markets Composite Expertise
AAI Acquisition, the company formed by Russian investment firm Industrial Investors to buy the assets of bankrupt very light jet developer Adam Aircraft In
Charter & Fractional
It’s Over: DayJet Files for Bankruptcy
Per-seat, on-demand very light jet (VLJ) air-taxi firm DayJet on November 14 filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy (liquidation), just four days after company fou
Regulations and Government
DHS Finalizes e-APIS Rule
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on November 18 issued a final rule for plans to move forward with implementation of its proposed Electronic Advan
Schuster Plans To Retire from Hawker Beechcraft
Jim Schuster, Hawker Beechcraft’s chairman and CEO since June 2001, announced today that he notified the Wichita aircraft manufacturer’s board of his plans
Charter & Fractional
Lights Out for DayJet
Per-seat, on-demand very light jet (VLJ) air-taxi firm DayJet last Friday filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy (liquidation), just four days after company founde
Security
DHS Finalizes e-APIS Rule
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) today issued a final rule for plans to move f
Despite Credit Woes, Middle East Still Hot for Bizjets
While the global economy continues to suffer from the credit crisis, the Middle East is largely insulated from these problems, which bodes well for compani
Mideast defies credit squeeze with oil-fueled fleet growth
While the global economy is reeling in the wake of the credit crisis, the Middle East is largely insulated from these problems, which bodes well for compan
