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
GAMA: 1Q Bizjet Shipments Rise, Turboprops Plunge
Overall, the general aviation industry shipped 434 airplanes worth $3.6 billion in the first three months.
Aircraft
Textron Ceases Production of Cessna Citation Mustang
More than 470 of the entry-level jets were delivered during its 12-year production run.
1Q17 Bizjet Revenues and Deliveries Slide at Bombardier
Bellemare termed Global sales in the quarter as “soft,” but added that it’s midrange Challenger models are doing “extremely well.”
Aircraft
Global 7000 Program on Track as Third Aircraft Flies
FTV3 joins a flight-test program that has been demonstrating “excellent system reliability” since it got under way in November.
Charter & Fractional
Higher Share Sales Drive 19% Revenue Jump at NetJets
Also driven by an increase in services revenues attributable to increases in pass-through costs and a 2 percent increase in flight hours.
European Bizav Flying Rises on Wings of AOC Operators
AOC flights surged 4 percent last month and have increased in each of the last six months.
Airports
Construction Work Displaces EBACE 2017 Static Display
Attendees have to take a shuttle bus from the exhibit hall to a new-location static display area due construction of the airport passenger terminal.
Maintenance and Modifications
FAA OKs Five-blade Composite Prop for Piper M600
The five-blade Hartzell composite propeller is now being offered as a Piper factory option for 2017 on new M600s.
Airports
Group Seeks Proposals for Third FBO at Addison Airport
When complete, the facility will have 120,000 sq ft of hangar, office and shop space, 6.9 acres of ramp space and a 22,000-sq-ft FBO terminal.
Avionics
Duncan Aviation Sees Surge in ADS-B Upgrade Bookings
According to Duncan’s latest estimate, 6,000 business aircraft in the U.S. still need to be equipped with ADS-B OUT before Dec. 31, 2019.
Argus: U.S. Bizav Flying Logs 5.3 Percent Gain in April
The business aviation data firm expects the improvements to continue, predicting a 3.9 percent increase for this month.
Aircraft
Gulfstream Flies Third G600, On Track for 2018 EIS
Company also increased the number of flight test aircraft from three to four to maximize efficiency in flight testing.
Charter & Fractional
West Coast Aviation Accepts First Piaggio EVO in U.S.
The operator also launched West Coast EVO Partners, its fractional ownership program tailored for the Piaggio turboprops.
JSSI: Bizav Flying Logs Best First Quarter Since 2008
According to JSSI, flight hours in the first quarter increased 4.4 year-over-year.
Aircraft
Embraer Delivers 1,100th Business Jet
The milestone aircraft—a Phenom 300—was handed over to fractional provider NetJets at Embraer Executive Jets’ customer delivery center in Florida.
Maintenance and Modifications
Advent Wins STC for PC-12 Anti-skid Braking System
The STC applies to all PC-12s equipped with a Waas-enabled GPS, including those with Honeywell Apex or Garmin or IS&S GPS units.
European Bizav Market Showing 'Vigor,' Says EBAA Chief
“We’ve now had six months of steady growth in traffic numbers, and they’re the best since 2011," said newly installed EBAA CEO Brandon Mitchener.
UBS Bizjet Index Down, but Optimism Still High
Drop driven by lower willingness of dealers to increase inventory, less optimism about the 12-month outlook and higher pre-owned business jet inventory.
Engines
Pratt & Whitney Canada Hits 100,000th Engine Milestone
60,000 P&WC engines are still in service with 12,300 operators in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide.
Safety
Hong Kong Requires Disinsection for Some Arrivals
Compliance requires either residual or non-residual disinsection, the flight-planning company said.
Safety
Aircare Adds Enhanced Hypoxia Training at U.S. Centers
The enhanced training course combines classroom instruction on high-altitude physiology with practical training using a hypoxia training platform.
Pre-owned Bizjet Transactions Rise in First Quarter
Meanwhile, business jet inventory finished the quarter at 11.2 percent of the active fleet for sale, essentially unchanged from a year ago.
Charter & Fractional
HNA Launches General Aviation Portal in China
“Air Community” has the largest network of business jet and helicopter charters, industrial parks and flight training centers, among other services.
Aircraft
Pilatus PC-12 NG Deliveries Rise 30 Percent
Notably, the general aviation unit accounted for 55.6 percent of total revenues at the company—its largest share since 2012, Pilatus said.
Avionics
L3's CRT-to-LCD Retrofit Approved for Legacy Bizcraft
Besides improved reliability, the displays have lower power requirements and can achieve a reduction in weight per cockpit of up to 20 to 25 pounds.
Aircraft
Dassault Could Launch New Falcon Jet Later This Year
“We are now readying the launch of a new Falcon jet, which will offer characteristics determined by our market studies and technological capabilities.”
Aircraft
As Deliveries Climb, Gulfstream Bucks Industry Trend
Thanks to the more favorable mix at Gulfstream, first-quarter revenues soared to $2.074 billion, while profits climbed $111 million, to $443 million.
Aircraft
HondaJet Goes the Distance En Route to Panama Airshow
N250SS made one stop at Miami Executive Airport on the trip from its base in North Carolina, to Panama.
Aircraft
Embraer To Assemble Bulk of Legacy 450/500s in Florida
This would mirror the decision announced in 2015 that it would assemble all Phenoms at the Melbourne, Florida plant.
Aircraft
With Bizjet Pricing Still Soft, Embraer Stresses Value
It cited MGM trading in its fleet of “Brand X” airplanes late last year for two Embraer Lineages after being pitched on their value proposition.
