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
Regulations and Government
Boston-Maine Airways under fire in DOT probe
The Department of Transportation’s Inspector General’s Office has launched an investigation into charges of fraudulent financial reporting by Boston-Maine
Aircraft
Mesa takes on Dornier 328s, seeks lessees
Mesa Air Group has taken responsibility for part of the lease payments on some 30 idle Fairchild Dornier 328Jets as a condition of its new code-share contr
Colgan Air To Fly as United Express
Colgan Air will take Shuttle America’s place at Washington Dulles Airport as the Saab 340 turboprop provider for United Airlines (UAL) under an agreement-i
Winds Collapse Chautauqua Hangar
Strong wind gusts from August 5 thunderstorms collapsed part of the roof of a new maintenance hangar under construction for Chautauqua Airlines at Louisvil
Independence Air in Dire Straits
Discount-fare Bombardier CRJ operator Independence Air raised “substantial doubt about the company’s ability to continue as a going concern” in last month’
Security
FA Cites 9/11 Hysteria in Lawsuit
Former Comair flight attendant (FA) Gilbert Knops has filed suit against the airline, claiming his ethnic appearance and anti-war sentiment bred suspicion
Accidents
ATR Crash Probe Homes In on Fuel
Italian authorities strongly suspect that fuel starvation or contamination caused the crash of a Tunisian ATR 72 off the northern coast of Sicily on August
Republic set to fly 170s for Delta, US Airways
The FAA certainly tested its patience, but Republic Airways appeared likely to win an operating certificate for its new Republic Airlines division in time
SkyWest to buy ASA in $425 million deal
A last-ditch attempt to stave off bankruptcy by Delta Air Lines has seen St.
Regulations and Government
New traffic control rule threatens RJ ops at LGA
A new traffic control rule proposed by the FAA for New York La Guardia Airport would replace the current system of slot allocation with “operating authoriz
Mesa Air Group now taking aim at Hawaii’s airways less traveled
Mesa Air Group has now taken aim at a less visible target within the inter-island Hawaiian market, much to the dismay of incumbent turboprop stalwarts Isla
Superjet team takes U.S. sanctions in stride
Progress on the Sukhoi Superjet 100 continues uninterrupted, despite the U.S.
Accidents
NTSB looks for answers in crash of Comair CRJ
When the nation’s news media rounded up the pundits to comment on the possible causes of the August 27 crash of Comair Flight 5191, many could conjure reas
Aircraft
Air Canada takes first Embraer 190
Air Canada became the first North American airline to take delivery of two different models of Embraer’s new E-Jet series, when on December 12 its first 93
Aircraft
C Series reprieve reflects more than mere patience
Perhaps the most compelling aspect of the Bombardier C Series has less to do with technological ambitions and funding plans than with the sheer dog
Aircraft
Aeroflot board divided on RRJ
Sukhoi would have loved to announce an RRJ launch order from Aeroflot last month out from under the shadow of intrigue that seems to hang over every Russia
Aircraft
Lufthansa Signs for a Dozen CRJ900s
Lufthansa signed a firm order last month for 12 Bombardier CRJ900 regional jets.
Aircraft
ERJ 145 Opens Link to Kurdistan
A 48-seat Embraer ERJ 145 leased by Turkey’s Fly Air on December 9 opened twice-weekly scheduled service to Erbil, the administrative capital of Iraqi Kurd
Harbin-Embraer Resumes Production
Embraer and its Chinese partners Harbin Aircraft and Hafei Aviation resumed building ERJ 145s at their plant in Harbin, China, on November 30, three days a
Mesaba Draws Ire of Pilots, Creditors
The management of Mesaba Airlines issued a proposal for pay concessions to its pilots last month that, if adopted, would slash salaries by between 13 and 1
Aircraft
Northwest Moves To Cut RJ Costs
Bankrupt Northwest Airlines has turned the financial screws on its existing Airlink partners by asking for bids from several regional airlines to fly RJs c
Unable to find a liferaft, FLYi finally goes under
The experiment in discount-fare, 50-seat RJ flying known as Independence Air (formerly Atlantic Coast Airlines) ended once and for all when the company tra
Safety
Chalk’s crash scrutiny intensifies
Chalk’s Ocean Airways remained grounded at press time as maintenance crews peeled apart the wing skins and inspected the wing structures of its four remain
Era Aviation Files for Chapter 11
Anchorage, Alaska-based regional airline Era Aviation in late December filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection after its main source of capital decided
NewCo Plan Draws Strike Threat
The pilots of Northwest Airlines have threatened to strike if management proceeds with plans to launch a new regional airline as proposed in a newsletter d
Western Australia GrantsRegional Airlines Monopoly Rights
The province of Western Australia has granted two airlines monopoly rights over air service to some 10 small communities surrounding Perth.
Accidents
Frontier Flying Service Hangar Burns
Investigators last month had yet to determine the cause of a December 26 fire that destroyed Frontier Flying Service’s hangar at Wiley Post-Will Rogers Mem
Paramount To Sign for More E-Jets
India’s Paramount Airways plans to sign a contract for eight Embraer 175s and seven Embraer 195s worth some $450 million.
Safety
Schiavo pits pilots against industry in RJ crash suit
Former DOT Inspector General Mary Schiavo’s latest crusade against the aerospace establishment has placed Bombardier, General Electric, Honeywell, Northwes
ATC
ExpressJet the latest regional squeezed by major partner
ExpressJet began shopping in earnest for a new mainline partner last month as Continental Airlines prepared to ask for bids from other regional airlines to
