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
Maintenance and Modifications
Stevens Aviation Teams with Executive Flight Training
Goal is one-stop maintenance and recurrent training capabilities for the King Air, PC-12, TBM, Citation, Conquest and Cheyenne.
Charter & Fractional
Online Charter Portal PrivateFly Plans U.S. Expansion
Company plans to raise up to $9 million in growth capital early this year for U.S. expansion, marketing and technology developments.
Safety
Air Safety Institute Releases Forced-landing Survival Guide
“Survive: Beyond the Forced Landing” program was developed in conjunction with the Canadian Owners and Pilots Association.
Safety
Study: Pilots Exposed to High Amounts of UVA Radiation in Flight
For roughly every hour of flight time at 30,000 feet, pilots are exposed to the same amount of UVA radiation as that from a 20-minute tanning-bed session.
Charter & Fractional
STAjets Garners Argus Platinum Rating, IS-BAO Stage One
Santa Ana, Calif.-based STAjets is one of only 125 Platinum safety-rated aircraft charter operators.
Up, Up and Away: Bizav Flying Continues Unabated Climb
Traffic rose 1.6 percent year-over-year last month, while Argus projects that flying this month will increase by 1.8 percent over last January.
Rotorcraft
Russian Oil Company Places Order for 160 AW189 Helicopters
Helicopters will be supplied mainly through HeliVert, a joint venture between AgustaWestland and Russian Helicopters.
Charter & Fractional
NetJets Plans To Hire Nearly 200 Pilots, 50 Flight Attendants in 2015
Company has already received more than 1,000 resumes from qualified pilots and about 200 from flight attendant candidates.
Aircraft
Garmin ADS-B Solution for Gulfstream G150 Now Certified
Low-cost equipage includes GTX 3000 Mode S extended-squitter remote transponder paired with GDL 88 ADS-B datalink.
Aircraft
Aboulafia: Gulfstream Widebodies Top Bizjets in 2014
The Bombardier Learjet 85 landed at the other end of the spectrum.
Training and Workforce
FlightSafety Promotes Davenport, Johns to Executive V-p Slots
David Davenport is now executive vice president of the commercial segment, while Raymond Johns is executive vice president of the government segment.
Engines
GE Aviation Begins Flight Trials of Passport Turbofan
To date, the Passport engine has logged more than 750 hours and 300 cycles of testing on the ground.
Training and Workforce
Emirates-CAE Expanding Dubai Training Center
ECFT to double simulator bays at second Dubai facility.
Aircraft
Learjet 70 and 75 Get Nod from Mexican Civil Aviation Agency
Jets were certified by the FAA and Transport Canada late last year and by EASA in September.
Bob Hoover Awarded with 2014 Wright Brothers Trophy
Trophy awarded annually to a living American for “significant public service of enduring value to aviation in the U.S.”
NASA Testing Software That Allows Pilots To Fly More Efficient Approaches
ASTAR gives pilots specific speed information and guidance so that airplanes can be more precisely spaced.
Engines
Pratt & Whitney Canada Pledges $1B in Near-term R&D
Funds will be used to develop the “next generation of high-performance aircraft engines.”
Accidents
Embraer Phenom 100 Crashes into Gaithersburg Home
The accident occurred a half mile from the airport, according to an FAA preliminary report.
Charter & Fractional
NetJets Pilots Sue Company, Alleging Interference
Lawsuit alleges that “NetJets Aviation used Twitter to impersonate union members and unlawfully obtained confidential communications."
Bizav Flying Ascends for 12th Consecutive Month
Segment activity climbed by 3.7 percent year-over-year. While this was a solid gain, it was slightly below Argus’s estimate of 3.9 percent.
Aircraft
Honeywell Forecast: 9,450 Bizjet Deliveries Worth $280B over Next Decade
In the near term, Honeywell is projecting deliveries of 650 to 675 new jets this year, a single-digit percent increase from 2013.
FBOs
Atlantic Aviation To Acquire Showalter FBO in Orlando
Showalter family will no longer be involved in the FBO after the deal closes in the first quarter of next year.
Charter & Fractional
PlaneSense To Fill PC-12 with Food for New Hampshire Food Bank
Most needed donations include canned tuna, chicken or salmon; canned or dried beans; rice; peanut butter; and canned nuts.
Rotorcraft
FAA OKs Optional Floats for Robinson R66 Turbine Helicopter
$875,000 float option adds 65 pounds to the helicopter’s empty weight.
Fuel
CAE, Lider Aviacao Now Offering Sikorsky S-76 Training in São Paulo
Program is an extension of the joint venture between CAE and Lider, and will support flight training for Lider’s S-76 pilots.
Finance, Taxes, Insurance
EU Clarifies VAT Relief for Foreign Business Aircraft
Many business aircraft operators previously had been uncertain whether they were eligible for temporary admission into the EU.
Aircraft
Second Conforming Cirrus Jet Joins Flight-test Fleet
Dubbed C1, the jet will be used for an “array of certification efforts,” including flight into known icing testing.
Airbus Begins Selling Off Stake in Dassault Aviation
Shares were sold back to Dassault at €980 each, making the total transaction worth nearly €794 million.
Aircraft
Light Bizjets Gaining Momentum, Say JPM Analysts
Steady growth of about 4 percent in U.S. business jet flight operations underlies the recovery.
Rotorcraft
Bell Helicopter Shuffles Executives
Matthew Hasik was named executive vice president of Bell’s commercial sales, marketing and programs.
