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
Aircraft
Piaggio Avanti Brake, Wheel Retrofit in Advanced Stages
Launched last year, the upgrade includes forged aluminum wheels and steel brakes, the latter said to reduce overhaul costs by as much as 70 percent.
Teal: Bizav Market To Return to Peak Levels in 2021
Forecast calls for 11,434 business aircraft worth $272.1 billion to be delivered over the next 10 years.
Charter & Fractional
Flight Ops/Flexjet, Pilots Still Spar over Integration
Flexjet and Flight Options have operated under the umbrella of aviation parent company One Sky Flight since 2015.
Aircraft
Textron Aviation Holds Firm on Bizjet Pricing in Flat Market
Third-quarter revenues at Textron Aviation fell $44 million year-over-year, as it delivered 41 Citations and 24 King Airs.
Bizav Flight Activity in Europe Continues Ascent
WingX said the Southern Mediterranean “continued to be the hub for growth in business aviation” in September.
NBAA 2017 Deemed 'All-around Success'
The event featured about 1,100 exhibitors, including more than 100 new exhibitors.
Charter & Fractional
Benefit Raises $435K for Corporate Angel Network
Live auction started off with a bidding war for the Textron Stampede off-road vehicle, valued at $27,670, that fetched $100,000.
Regulations and Government
CL604 Pilot Sentenced for Operating While Intoxicated
Fitzgerald was sentenced to 12 months and one day of prison also, fined $5,500 and given three years of supervised probation upon release.
Engines
Honeywell Gets FAA Nod for Longitude's HTF7700L Engine
Cessna’s Citation Longitude is expected to enter service early next year.
UBS Bizjet Index Jumps 10% as Pre-owned Turns Corner
Now at 53, the index score returns to its post-U.S. election high and denotes an improving market.
Cabin Interior and Electronics
C&L Videos Parody 'Airplane' in Trek to NBAA 2017
But the videos also highlight Bangor, Maine-based C&L’s aircraft servicing capabilities: interior completions , connectivity systems and paint.
Training and Workforce
Simhawk Enhances Aircraft Simulator Time Search Tool
The company also claims it now provides access to 93 percent of all civil flight simulators around the world.
Charter & Fractional
Traxxall Lands Executive AirShare Mx Tracking Deal
Aircraft maintenance tracking and inventory management system will be used for fractional provider's fleet of 47 business jets and turboprops.
Finance, Taxes, Insurance
Amstat Teams Up on New Business Aircraft Valuation Tool
Tool uses current aircraft specs and the same “consistent objective methodology” to value each aircraft.
Avionics
Satcom Direct Datalink Gets Latest FANS TSO Approval
FANS-1/A datalink unit simplifies pilot-to-controller communication, reduces communications error and increases efficiency in congested airspace.
Avionics
Bizcraft Operators Advised To Wait on iOS 11 Upgrade
Devices on iOS 11 using Bluetooth/plug-in GPS receivers for position data can experience loss of GPS signal when carried on aircraft exceeding 300 knots.
Cabin Interior and Electronics
Satcom Direct To Launch LTE Hub for T-props, Light Jets
Router will have the smallest form factor on the market while still supporting the latest cellular, Wi-Fi and satellite technology.
Rotorcraft
HeliOffshore Advancing Key Safety Projects
HeliOffshore is also starting work on a second phase of eye-tracking research, which aims to help pilots make better use of automation in the cockpit.
ATC
AEA Warns of Potential Aircraft ID Mismatch with ADS-B
Likely scenario of such a mismatch lies with operators who use a call sign on some or all of their flights.
Aircraft
Embraer Delivers First Florida-assembled Legacy 500
Besides today’s Legacy 500 handover, the Florida facility has assembled and delivered two Legacy 450s and more than 250 Phenoms.
Aircraft
Young Used Bizjet Inventory Falls To Pre-crisis Levels
Available preowned business jet inventory last month was 7 percent lower year-over-year and now represent 10.3 percent of the installed base, says UBS.
Cabin Interior and Electronics
Free In-Flight Connectivity Breakfast Offered at NBAA
The breakfast is tailored for flight department managers, pilots and maintenance technicians.
FBOs
Sheltair Assists Cuomo on Puerto Rico Relief Flight
Among the items brought along on the airlift was some 34,000 bottles of water, 9,600 ready-to-eat meals, 3,000 canned goods and hundreds of flashlights.
Avionics
Honeywell Expands Cabin Connectivity Support
Honeywell’s GoDirect Cabin Connectivity technical experts can provide diagnosis and solutions for onboard connectivity issues.
Airports
SMO Runway Shortening To Start October 9
The shortening project will curtail business jet traffic by “an estimated 44 percent and reduce large jet noise and air pollution," the city claimed.
Aircraft
Spike Plans To Fly Unmanned Demonstrator This Month
The SX-1.2 is an unmanned scaled proof-of-concept aircraft that will help validate the control and stability of the S-512 at low speeds.
CAN Fundraiser at NBAA 2017 Gaining Traction
Funds from the event will help CAN continue its work to arrange flights for cancer patients to and from treatment.
Aircraft
Five Years On, G650 Still 'Top of Market' Bizjet
Gulfstream president Mark Burns said “the G650 set a new standard in business aviation” for its range and payload, low sound levels and four-zone cabin.
Avionics
GAMA: 40,000 U.S. GA Airplanes Now Have ADS-B Out
This is out of the FAA-estimated 100,000 to 160,000 general aviation aircraft that will need to have ADS-B Out before the Jan. 1, 2020 deadline.
Finance, Taxes, Insurance
Global Aerospace Adds Pro Services Liability Insurance
New coverage is aimed at aerospace contractors, aircraft maintenance providers, auditors and engineers, among others.
