Chad is the editor of AINalerts, AIN's daily business aviation newsletter, and is also the news editor at AIN Media Group.&nbsp;He has been writing about aviation, with an emphasis on business aviation, since 1994. Chad started his writing career at The Avion,&nbsp;the&nbsp;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&nbsp;magazine, he joined&nbsp;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.

Online Editor

Chad Trautvetter

Veteran business aviation leader Ernie Edwards joined Aerion Corp. as senior vice president and chief commercial officer, the Reno, Nev.-based company announced yesterday. In his new position, Edwards is responsible for all sales activity related to its <a href="http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2014-05-19/aerion-ssbj-design-becomes-trijet-larger-cabin-more-range">Mach 1.5 AS2 supersonic business jet</a>. He reports directly to CEO Doug Nichols.

 


In late 2013, Edwards retired as president of Embraer Executive Jets, which he helped shape into a leading business aviation brand. Most recently, he served as non-executive chairman of Veling Tayara, a Dubai-based business jet leasing firm. Edwards also held senior management positions with Cessna and Gulfstream and is the former president of Swift Aviation Group, which introduced Embraer to the business aircraft market in 2002 by offering the Legacy 600, a variant of the EMB-135 regional jet.

 


Edwards told AIN that he started talking to Nichols and Aerion co-chairman Brian Barents about the position about a month ago, adding that it “came to a head” when he met chairman Robert Bass, the billionaire financing the company, two weeks ago. “This is an opportunity to get into something that will change the face of the industry’s future—to help the AS2 be the first-to-market supersonic business jet," he said. "Aerion will simply revolutionize the way the world travels.”

 


First flight of the three-engine AS2 is slated for the 2019 time frame, with entry into service expected in 2022.

Edwards Tapped To Head Sales for Aerion Supersonic Jet

Veteran business aviation leader Ernie Edwards is now Aerion's senior vice president and chief commercial officer

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