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
Worst Is Behind Bizjet Industry, Says Consultant
“The business jet industry is no longer careening off a cliff; it’s just bouncing off the rocks below,” according to Brian Foley, president of business avi
Charter & Fractional
Avantair Logs Profit Despite Economic Turbulence
Clearwater, Fla.-based fractional provider Avantair reported another quarter of positive EBITA profits in a difficult economic environment, clearly putting
Pre-owned Bizjet Market Finds a New Normal
“The pre-owned business jet market isn’t tanking or upside down; it just returned to normalcy,” noted Dennis Rousseau, a 25-year business aviation veteran
Teal: Business Aircraft Deliveries To Recover in 2012
The Teal Group’s recently released 19th annual Business Jet Overview indicates that business aircraft have been hit harder by the economic crisis than any
Regulations and Government
NBAA Steadfastly Behind NextGen, Fuel Tax Increases
NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen yesterday testified during a Senate aviation subcommittee hearing on FAA reauthorization that the general aviation communit
Engines
GE Honda Readies HF120 for Certification Tests
The second half of this year will mark “significant certification testing milestones” for the GE Honda Aero Engines HF120, the turbofan that will power bot
Aircraft
Embraer Going Full Throttle on Legacy 450, 500 Programs
Embraer announced this week at EBACE that its Legacy 450 and 500 midsize jet programs are proceeding on pace, having completed the joint definition phase t
Environment
Honeywell To Test Biofuel in APUs, Engines this Summer
Honeywell Aerospace is gearing up for biofuel tests on its APUs and engines this summer in a bid to stay ahead of the alternative fuel push.
Aircraft
SJ30 deliveries to resume soon, as light jet gets back on track
Emivest Aerospace, which is represented here at EBACE by UK-based distributor Action Aviation (static display), appears to be getting the SJ30 light jet pr
Aircraft
Emivest Restarts SJ30 Production
Emivest Aerospace appears to be finally getting the SJ30 light jet program back on track since deliveries stalled more than a year-and-a-half ago.
EBACE 2009 All About Efficiency, Productivity
The ninth annual European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (EBACE) starts next Tuesday at Geneva Palexpo in Switzerland, though it’s expected
Natca/FAA Dispute To Go to Mediation
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced late last week that the Obama Administration will appoint two mediators to resolve the long-simmering contrac
Charter & Fractional
New Rules Pitched for FAR Part 135 CRM Training
The FAA is proposing to require crew resource management (CRM) training for all Part 135 certificate holders’ pilots and flight attendants.
Embraer First Quarter Figures Reflect Economic Slump
Embraer announced its first-quarter numbers last week, showing that net sales for the manufacturer’s Embraer Executive Jets division were down from $173.6
Flight Sharing Service Offers Greener Alternative
West Palm Beach, Fla.-based Greenjets last Thursday launched a shared-ride charter jet membership service, offering a “more environmentally, socially and f
Charter & Fractional
FAA Loses Appeal of Air Trek Revocation
Charter operator Air Trek’s battle to reinstate its Part 135 certificate following an FAA attempt at revocation appears to be back on track.
GAMA: Bizjet Deliveries Down, Turboprops Up in 1Q
The number of aircraft delivered in the first quarter of this year paled in com
New Owner Sees ‘Significant Potential’ in Piper Aircraft
American Capital today sold its entire stake in Vero Beach, Fla.-based Piper Aircraft to Imprimis, a corporate finance and investment management firm that
Accidents
Did Pilot Error Lead To 2007 Citation Crash?
An NTSB interim factual report and findings from a flight simulation issued last month suggest that pilot error, not a runaway trim condition, caused the J
Training and Workforce
Phenom Pilot Training Soaring at CAE
Nearly 50 customers have completed Phenom 100 pilot training at Embraer CAE Training Services, a joint venture between CAE and Embraer, CAE told AI
Maintenance and Modifications
EASA OKs Superjet Int’l To Perform Mx
The Italian Civil Aviation Authority (ENAC) has issued EASA/ENAC Part 145 certification to Venice, Italy-based Superjet International, allowing the regiona
Airports
Santa Monica Airport Part 16 Hearings Held
The city of Santa Monica, Calif., in late March was at an FAA Part 16 hearing in Long Beach defending its stance on trying to keep larger jets from using S
Air Chef Launches Visual Online Menu
Air Chef Holdings has launched a visual upgrade to its two Web sites–Air Culinaire (www.airculinaire.com) a
Charter & Fractional
Flight Options Gets New Investment
Directional Capital, an investment firm led by Flight Options chairman and founder Kenn Ricci, private-equity firm Resilience Capital Partners and “key mem
Safety
Pilot Pax Lands King Air after Pilot Dies
The FAA is hailing three South Florida air traffic controllers for assisting Doug White, a fixed-wing single-engine-rated private pilot and passenger, in s
Maintenance and Modifications
Gulfstream’s ‘Meet the Quote’ Program Is Back
Gulfstream Aerospace has reinstituted its “Meet the Quote” spare parts price-matching program, initially launched in March 2004, and operators have until J
Vaccination Prevents Japanese Encephalitis
Medical authorities are advising travelers to Asia–and Southeast Asia in particular–to consider being vaccinated against Japanese encephalitis, a mosquito-
Maintenance and Modifications
Chromalloy Plans $16.5 Million Tampa Expansion
Chromalloy, a supplier of components, PMA parts and specialized component repairs for turbine engines, is investing $16.5 million in an expansion of its Ta
Avionics
Cessna Mustang Gets Synthetic Vision OK
Cessna Aircraft on April 21 received FAA certification for Garmin’s Synthetic Vision Technology for the Citation Mustang.
Charter & Fractional
Furlough Mitigation Program Started at NetJets
Fractional provider NetJets and its pilots union–NJASAP, the NetJets Association of Shared Aircraft Pilots–have collaborated on a voluntary furlough-mitiga
