Gregory Polek
Senior Editor
Gregory Polek has spent his entire career in aviation journalism with AIN, starting as a proofreader and assistant to then-managing editor Mary Mahoney in 1995 after serving an internship with New Jersey Monthly magazine and completing his B.A. degree in English/Writing at New Jersey’s William Paterson College. By 1997 Polek accepted a position as an associate editor, covering the regional airline beat for Aviation International News in place of retiring industry veteran Don Anderson. The assignment took Polek across North America and Europe to profile regional airlines varying in size and mission from the likes of floatplane operators Kenmore Air and Chalk’s Ocean Airways to regional jet operators such as SkyWest and American Eagle. Today, in his dual role as Air Transport Editor and International Airshow Editor, Polek writes, edits, and manages AIN’s commercial aviation content while overseeing each of the company’s daily international air show publications in Paris, Farnborough, Singapore, and Dubai. Most recently Polek has assumed oversight of daily coverage of the Helicopter Association International’s annual Heli-Expo convention.
Latest from Gregory Polek
…and hope turns to despair at de Havilland
Union officials representing some 1,200 assembly workers at Bombardier’s de Havilland plant in suburban Toronto last month characterized the company’s late
Aircraft
787 First Flight Delayed Again
Boeing confirmed today that it will delay first flight of the 787 Dreamliner once again, from the end of the first quarter to around the end of the second
Sans fanfare, reborn Midway takes off into turbulent skies
Morrisville, N.C.-based Midway Airlines has reinvented itself for the sixth time in its checkered history, this time as a US Airways Express affiliate flyi
Accidents
Air Midwest crash ushers in regionals’ day of disaster
From a humanitarian perspective, regional air transport suffered perhaps its most destructive 24-hour stretch in history last month.
Regional Pilots Arrested on Weapons-Related Charges
Authorities recently arrested two regional airline pilots for trying to carry weapons through security and onto their respective flights.
Poland’s LOT Commits to Embraer 170s
Polish flag carrier LOT confirmed last month that it will place a firm order for ten 70-seat Embraer 170s.
Canadian Export Development Corp. Boosts CRJ Market
The Canadian government’s export financing arm, the Export Development Corporation (EDC), has advanced another $100 million loan to Delta Connection subsid
ACA Wants Answers from United
Atlantic Coast Airlines last month petitioned a U.S.
Judge Gives Green Light to US Airways-Republic Plan
Federal bankruptcy court judge Stephen Mitchell has approved US Airways’ plan to enter into a new operating agreement with Indianapolis-based Republic Airw
Caribbean governments back LIAT’s war against rival Star
Government shareholders of Antigua-based regional airline LIAT have pledged to support the ailing carrier’s efforts to combat competitive threats from the
New inspection regimes could spell trouble for aging fleets
The FAA on December 6 issued its interim final rule on a controversial new aging-aircraft inspection regime proposed for multi-engine airplanes operating u
US Airways affiliates held hostage by ‘Jets for Jobs’
The so-called “Jets for Jobs” program agreed upon by US Airways as part of the labor contract ratified by its ALPA-represented pilots over the summer has p
Mesa Asks for Employee Wage Cuts
Phoenix-based Mesa Air Group has asked its employees to accept a voluntary 5-percent pay cut for one year in return for an incentive program tied to quarte
American Eagle Faces More FAA Fines
The FAA has proposed fining American Eagle $363,000 for alleged violations of maintenance FARs.
Aircraft
Air Wisconsin Inks Deal for Six CRJs
Air Wisconsin last month placed a firm order for six more 50-passenger Bombardier CRJ200s to serve its recently inaugurated code-share relationship with Or
Mesaba Completes Big Sky Acquisition
Billings, Mont.-based Big Sky Airlines officially became part of the Mesaba Holdings stable early last month after Big Sky’s shareholders tendered some 90.
Embraer Lands Chinese Production Deal
Brazil’s Embraer last month signed a long-anticipated agreement to build a production unit in China through a joint venture with AVIC II subsidiaries Harbi
UK regional’s wings clipped as British Airways slashes routes
In a move that drew groans from local politicians and airport authorities of small- and medium-sized cities across the British isles, British Airways has d
United partners brace for coming storm
Last month’s rush to speculation over the effects of United Airlines’ decision to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection had just spread to include conj
Aircraft
Forecast: Embraer to lead pack
A new report released by Forecast International says that Embraer will collect 40.8 percent of the projected $99.7 billion in sales of regional aircraft ov
AMR to divest its Eagle unit
AMR has begun planning the divestiture of its American Eagle regional subsidiary amid calls for asset sales by shareholders disenchanted with the company’s
Aircraft
Skywest orders 22 crjs
Bombardier employees in Montreal and Belfast might thank, among others, SkyWest Airlines for the Canadian manufacturer’s decision to boost regional j
Aircraft
AD Covers 624 ERJs
An FAA advisory directive issued November 28 requires operators of 624 Embraer ERJ 135s and 145s to check for cracks in their forward fuselage right side s
Bedford Named RAA Chairman
The Regional Airline Association (RAA) elected Republic Airways chairman, president and CEO Bryan Bedford to assume the chairmanship of its 2007-2008 Board
Eagle Cited in Clerk’s Death
The North Carolina Department of Labor in late November cited American Eagle for what it classifies as serious safety violations related to the death of on
Aircraft
CRJ Rate Hike Planned
Bombardier will further increase production of its CRJ700 and CRJ900 regional jets to one aircraft every three days, resulting in an annual rate of 64 regi
AVIC I unveils new regional jet
Chinese aerospace conglomerate AVIC I unveiled the new ARJ21-700 regional jet during a rollout ceremony in Shanghai today for a select group of official gu
Big Sky To Close, MAIR To Liquidate
MAIR Holdings announced yesterday that its Big Sky Airlines subsidiary will end all its Delta Connection service on the East Coast as of midnight on Januar
EADS Divesting Six Plants to European Firms
EADS and Airbus have chosen three European companies as the preferred bidders for their controlling stake in the six factories marked for divestiture as pa
