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
Avocet joins the very light jet fray
The very light jet segment got a bit more crowded early last month when Westport, Conn.-based startup Avocet Aircraft and Israel Aircraft Industries public
Charter & Fractional
Understanding the new Subpart K frax rules
As fractional ownership programs grew in size, complexity and number, considerable controversy within the aviation community arose as to their appropriate
Charter & Fractional
Fractional Ownership: 17 years on
The concept of fractional ownership in the transportation industry is nearly half a millennium old.
Charter & Fractional
Major providers mature as local frax firms hatch
Executive Jet Aviation owner and CEO Richard Santulli brought the fractional-ownership concept to the business aviation community in the mid-1980s.
Aircraft
Millennium Aero Scores Fleet Order for 250 Foxjets
Eckhaus Leasing Group, a sister company of vehicle fleet company Eckhaus Fleet, yesterday placed an order for 250 Millennium Aerospace Foxjet II very light
Epic Elite Jet To Be Certified in Russia First
Epic Aircraft parent company Aircraft Investor Resources (AIR) and Tbilisi Aircraft Manufacturing (TAM) in June further cemented their joint venture to dev
Charter & Fractional
Ricci back in left seat at Flight Options
Cleveland-based Flight Options came full circle late last month when it named company founder Kenn Ricci chairman, ending months of speculation that he wou
Engines
GE Honda Gearing Up for HF120 Certification
GE Honda Aero Engines has built and tested eight HF120 engine cores and eight turbofan engine configurations to prepare for formal certification testing la
Aircraft
Phenom 100 Program Has The Field In Sight
Last year at EAA AirVenture Embraer announced the first flight of its Phenom 100 very light jet.
Maintenance and Modifications
Hawker Beech Completes Sale of FBOs to BBA Aviation
Hawker Beechcraft late last week completed the sale of the majority of its wholly owned fuel and line operations to Signature Flight Support parent company
Aircraft
Cirrus Flies its Single-engine jet
Duluth, Minn.-based Cirrus Design flew its jet, now called the Vision SJ50, for the first time on July 3.
Regulations and Government
AOPA, NBAA Join Airlines in Fight Against Fuel Prices
While the airline and general aviation groups couldn’t be farther apart on the issue of aviation user fees, they seem to have found common ground on fuel p
Safety
FAA Medical Durations Extended for Younger Pilots
The FAA today issued an InFO (information for operators) that specifies the extended duration of first- and third-class medicals for pilots under age 40.
Safety
NTSB Investigates Learjet, ERJ 145 Near Midair
A near midair collision on Monday at Chicago O’Hare International Airport that involved an American Eagle Embraer ERJ 145 regional jet and a Part 91-operat
General Dynamics Soaring on Gulfstream Jet Sales
Gulfstream Aerospace parent General Dynamics yesterday reported a 25-percent increase in profits during the second quarter, thanks in large part to climbin
Aircraft
Cessna Citation CJ4 On Track for 2009 Approval
This week at the Farnborough airshow, Cessna said its largest CitationJet, the CJ4, remains on schedule for FAA certification in the second half of next ye
NTSB Probing Recent Runway Incursions at TEB
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating two runway incursions that occurred at Teterboro (N.J.) Airport (TEB) over the past three weeks.
Aircraft
Stratos Reveals Plans for Single-engine VLJ
Bend, Ore.-based Stratos Aircraft yesterday revealed its intention to build an all-composite single-engine very light jet, dubbed the Stratos 714, with 1,5
Accidents
Pilot Error, Weather Eyed in Korean S-92 Crash
A botched emergency landing instigated by bad weather appears to have brought down a twin-engine Sikorsky S-92A carrying the 88-year-old Rev.
Charter & Fractional
Ricci Back in Left Seat at Flight Options
Cleveland-based fractional provider Flight Options yesterday named Kenn Ricci chairman and Mike Silvestro CEO, replacing former CEO S.
Training and Workforce
Jeppesen online CFI renewal program a cut above the rest
In aviation, the old saying goes, “You don’t want to lose the ratings and certificates that you’ve already got.”
Aircraft
Cirrus SJX Jet Single Enters Flight-test Phase
Engineers at Duluth, Minn.-based Cirrus Design are still poring over telemetry data from the first flight of the company’s single-engine jet late last week
Aircraft
Comp Air’s CA-9 Turboprop To Fly Soon
Merritt Island, Fla.-based Comp Air is preparing its CA-9 prototype for first flight, three months after unveiling the all-composite turboprop single at th
Charter & Fractional
NetJets Pilots Break from IBT, Choose In-house Union
NetJets pilots this week overwhelmingly voted to switch union representation from the International Brotherhood of Teamsters to the NetJets Association of
ATC
New Alliance Plans To Help Usher In NextGen ATC
The Alliance for Sustainable Air Transportation (ASAT) was publicly launched late last week at a Florida summit on global climate change in Miami.
Aircraft
It's official: Eclipse launches single-engine sibling for EA-500
Eclipse Aviation in late May launched the Eclipse 400, a single-engine jet that will be a close relative of the Eclipse Concept Jet (ECJ) prototype reveale
Aircraft
HBC delivers first customer copy of the Hawker 4000
One week after gaining full FAA type approval and production certification for the Hawker 4000, Hawker Beechcraft delivered the first copy of the super-mid
Charter & Fractional
VistaJet Signs To Buy Bombardier Skyjet
Zurich, Switzerland-based VistaJet Holding today announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Bombardier Aerospace’s Skyjet International
Aircraft
PiperJet Poised To Start High-speed Taxi Tests
Piper Aircraft today said that the PiperJet proof of concept’s Williams FJ44-3AP engine was started and tested on June 19, describing the first on-ship run
