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
NetJets Receives 50th Challenger 350, 30th Global
To date, NetJets’ Challenger 350 fleet has logged nearly 70,000 flight hours, while its Globals have accumulated nearly 67,000 flight hours.
Charter & Fractional
Executive AirShare Launches Plan for Midsize Companies
Dubbed Launch Lease, the plan offers customers 40 total program days on an Executive AirShare aircraft to use over a two-year period.
Aircraft
Airvan 10 T-prop Single Gets Aussie CASA, U.S. FAA Nods
The 10-seat, Rolls-Royce M250-powered airplane is a stretched version of GippsAero’s Airvan 8 piston single.
Avionics
JSSI, Constant Aviation Team on ADS-B Webinar
ADS-B OUT avionics will be required by Jan. 1, 2020 for all aircraft flying in U.S. airspace.
Training and Workforce
TRU Adds CJ4 to Online Pilot Ground School Offerings
Ground school option shortens the amount of time customers are required to be at TRU's training facility.
Pre-owned Prices Fall 35% Across Six Bizjet Types
Models in the study included the Cessna Citation Mustang, CJ2 and Excel; Bombardier Learjet 45 and Global XRS; and Gulfstream G550.
Engines
Safran Silvercrest To Have Two Takeoff Thrust Ratings
Second takeoff rating maintains the takeoff thrust in “certain high ambient temperature conditions.”
ExecuJet Lanseria To Host Inaugural African Bizav Expo
It will be a three-day show, held November 29 through December 1, the African Business Aviation Association said.
Aircraft
Fourth Test Gulfstream G600 Takes Flight
G600 departed Savannah-Hilton Head International Airport on a 1 hour 18 minute flight, during which it climbed to 51,000 feet and reached Mach 0.925.
Skills Shortage Looms for Bizav, Says EBAA-backed Study
Findings concluded that there was little awareness of workforce shortages within business aviation, particularly for pilots and maintenance technicians.
Regulations and Government
FAA, UK In Talks on Post-Brexit Aviation Repercussions
The FAA is already engaged in technical discussions with the UK Department of Transport and the Civil Aviation Authority about specific steps.
Avionics
Airbus Helicopters Picks Astronautics Datacom System
Helicopter operators will realize enhanced operational and safety benefits through real-time data access.
Analyst: Airlines Have Become Bizav's Best Marketer
Recent airline/passenger incidents “will cause a few to explore their options and leave the airlines" and support the decision of those already using bizav
Aircraft
Textron Rolls Out First Production Citation Longitude
There are currently five of the super-midsize twinjets on the production line.
Accidents
Saturday's Beechjet Flameout Marks Fifth in Type
Jet diverted and safely landed at Buffalo Niagara International Airport after experiencing a left engine flameout over Pennsylvania.
Aircraft
Textron Delivers 2,000th CJ Family Aircraft
The CJ family, including the current-production Citation M2, CJ3+ and CJ4, has reached nearly five million flight hours.
WingX: Bizav Activity in Europe Continues Climb
There were 77,068 business aircraft departures in Europe last month, a 3.3 percent increase from a year ago and the “busiest month so far this year.”
U.S. Bizav Flying Sees ‘Substantial Increase’ in May
According to Argus data, business aircraft operations in the U.S., Caribbean and Canada soared 6.5 percent year-over-year in May 2017.
Charter & Fractional
Surf Air Acquires Dallas-based Competitor Rise
Under the transition to the Surf Air brand, Rise will phase out its current fleet of Beechcraft King Air 350s and replace it with Pilatus PC-12s.
Avionics
Garmin G5 Digital DG/HSI Wins FAA AML-STC Approval
The 3.5-inch LCD unit can be used as a primary instrument for displaying magnetic heading, VOR/LOC guidance and/or GPS course guidance.
Charter & Fractional
Citing 50% Growth, Flexjet Goes on Pilot Hiring Spree
Open pilot positions are in its light through super-midsize jets—the Embraer Phenom 300 and Legacy 450 and Bombardier Learjet 75LXi and Challenger 350.
Charter & Fractional
JetSuite Jumps into Business Aircraft Management
An increase in charter flying demand and growth in its SuiteKey block charter program led to the creation of the multi-tiered aircraft management o
Cabin Interior and Electronics
Gogo Bizav Adds Access to Airshow Moving Maps
After activating an account with Rockwell Collins, Gogo ATG customers can download an app to view Airshow moving maps on smartphones or tablets.
Training and Workforce
TRU's Citation Latitude/Sovereign+ Sim Gets FAA Nod
Courses under the Latitude/Sovereign+ program include initial aircraft and initial type rating, recurrent and avionics introduction.
Charter & Fractional
FlairJet To Manage Surf Air Europe’s Phenom 300
The twinjet will go into service next month and be operated by FlairJet.
Charter & Fractional
Oyonnair Touts Avanti's 98% Dispatch Reliability Rate
In the last year, Oyonnair has logged 3,000 hours in its turboprop twin-engine Avanti P.180s.
Forget the Wheel, Company Reinvents the Aircraft Chock
Chock has a simple over-center locking system, eliminating the need for complicated locking mechanisms and making removal an easy, one-handed operation.
Aircraft
PlaneSense Gears Up for Launch of Pilatus PC-24
The company has an initial order for six PC-24s, but plans to place an add-on “significant order” as soon as Pilatus reopens the order book next year.
Europe Could Lead Recovery in Bizjet Market, Says JetNet
Buyer sentiment is most optimistic in Europe, with 61.8 percent in this region saying that the business jet market is past the low point.
Aircraft
Nextant Aerospace's Next Act: the Challenger 604
The 604XT is being announced first as an avionics retrofit package, with more details to come in October about other potential improvements.
