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
Avionics
AEA: Avionics Sales Drop Nearly 9% in First Quarter
Worldwide business and general aviation avionics sales in the first quarter amounted to about $660.4 million, an 8.8 percent year-over-year decrease.
ATC
SpaceX Launch Prompts Space Coast TFRs
The planned launch of a SpaceX rocket with a crewed Dragon capsule has prompted a pair of TFRs that will close off sections of Central Florida’s airspace.
ATC
Nav Canada Proposes Steep Hikes in ATC User Charges
Nav Canada wants to hike user service charges by an 29.5 percent due to lower air traffic volume and a resulting decrease in collected fees.
AINdebrief Episode 9 | May 22, 2020
SkyCourier flies, Archer launches eVTOL, Pilatus annual report, bizjet seized in nigeria, air charter sees new customers, ADS-B turbulence reporting.
U.S. Bizav Flying Starts To Turn the Corner
Business aircraft flight activity in the U.S., Canada, and the Caribbean is now on the upswing, passing a Covid-19-induced bottom in April.
AINdebrief Episode 8 | May 15, 2020
Covid changes bizav, Erickson revolutionizing aerial firefighting, new crew oxygen rules, Aerion refines AS2 design, Gulfstream's programs progress.
WingX: Global Bizav Traffic Continues Climbout
WingX says global business aviation activity is down 58 percent month-to-date, but is still better than the 70 percent decline recorded in April.
Assent Aeronautics To Hold Virtual Aircraft Auction
Assent Aeronautics's virtual aircraft aution on May 14 will see six business jets, three turboprops, one amphibian, and three piston twins go on the block.
Argus: Covid-19 'Crushes' North American Bizav Traffic
Traqpak data released by business aviation information firm Argus International shows that April flying in North America plummeted 71.5 percent YOY.
Aircraft
Gulfstream G600 Lands EASA Nod
Gulfstream has received the green light to begin deliveries of the G600 to customers in Europe, following EASA certification of the large-cabin jet.
Charter & Fractional
FlyExclusive Offers Program for Stung JetSuite Clients
Aircraft charter firm flyExclusive is offering a discounted jet card program for JetSuite SuiteKey customers affected by the latter's bankruptcy.
Aircraft
Gulfstream Now Has Trio of Test G700s in Flight Testing
Gulfstream Aerospace now has three of its planned five flight-test G700s online after another test aircraft made its first flight on Friday.
AINdebrief Episode 7 | May 8, 2020
AINdebrief looks at bizav flights rising, Bombardier Q1, NBAA and Gulfstream layoffs, JetSuite bankrupt, and Daher intros 2020 TBM 940.
WingX: Bizav Flight Activity Awakening from Slumber
The seven-day moving average of global business aviation flight activity has climbed 40 percent over the past three weeks.
Aircraft
Daher Ships 1st 2020 TBM 940, HomeSafe on Final Approach
Daher is delivering the first 2020 TBM 940 this week while it expects the aircraft's HomeSafe autoland system to be approved by early July.
JSSI Bizav Index Shows Down March, Predicts Lift in May
March marked a tipping point in business aviation flight hours, when the full impact of the Covid-19 crisis was felt industrywide, said JSSI.
Aircraft
Gulfstream Reports Layoffs, LAS Service Center Closure
Due to challenges stemming from the pandemic, Gulfstream Aerospace has announced company-wide layoffs and the closure of its Las Vegas service center.
AINdebrief Episode 6 | May 1, 2020
Q1 results at Textron Av, Gulfstream, Boeing, and Airbus; eVTOL developments; FAA keeps aircraft flying; and Aerion Supersonic moves to Florida.
Charter & Fractional
JetSuite Files For Chapter 11 Reorganization
JetSuite’s aircraft operating arm, Superior Air Charter, on Tuesday filed for Chapter 11 reorganization in a U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware.
Aircraft
Travel Restrictions Thwart 1Q20 Gulfstream Deliveries
First-quarter deliveries at Gulfstream Aerospace fell 33 percent due to Covid-19 travel restrictions, while supply chain issues will curtail production.
Training and Workforce
APS Aims To Keep Pilots Sharp During Covid Downtime
Upset prevention and recovery training (UPRT) provider Aviation Performance Solutions has launched new free and paid online UPRT course options.
AINdebrief Episode 5 | April 24, 2020
AINdebrief looks at bizav sustainability, remote flight dept. audits, Covid-related airline bankruptcies, preowned aircraft sales, and supply chain issues.
Aircraft
Aerion Supersonic Chooses Florida's MLB Airport for New HQ
Aerion Supersonic is moving its headquarters from Reno, Nevada, to a new $300 million campus at Florida’s Melbourne International Airport (MLB).
Argus Outlines What U.S. Bizav Recovery Might Look Like
The restart in business aviation flights in the U.S. will be mostly domestic driven, with Texas, Florida, and Georgia being key to recovery, said Argus.
Charter & Fractional
Citing Covid-19, JetSuite Grounds Fleet, Furloughs Crew
Dallas-based bizjet charter operator JetSuite has grounded its all-Embraer fleet and furloughed most of its crewmembers as the Covid-19 crisis drags on.
AINdebrief Episode 4 | April 17, 2020
AINdebrief looks at flight planning during Covid-19, U.S. airline aid, keeping bizjets airworthy, jet-A glut, the FAA's proposed supersonic noise rules.
Aircraft
JetNet iQ: Covid-19 Could Halve 2020 Bizjet Deliveries
Business jet deliveries this year could be down by 12.5 percent to almost 50 percent year-over-year due to the Covid-19 crisis, according to JetNet iQ.
AINdebrief Episode 3 | April 10, 2020
AINdebrief looks at bizav traffic drops due to Covid-19, defending the bizjet, air catering considerations, Leonardo completes Kopter acquisition.
ATC
NBAA Debunks U.S. Airspace Closure Rumors
A rumor about an imminent U.S. airspace shutdown promulgated by an aviation blogger earlier this week has been debunked by NBAA.
Aircraft
Gulfstream Maintains Production while Fighting Covid-19
Gulfstream Aerospace is keeping open its production lines and other normal operations while also donating and making medical equipment.
