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&nbsp;New Jersey Monthly&nbsp;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&nbsp;Aviation International News&nbsp;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.

Senior Editor

Gregory Polek

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 guests and government-approved media. Officials used the occasion to reveal a new Chinese name for the 90-seat airplane–Xiang Feng, or Flying Phoenix–and announce a 100-unit commitment from Kunpeng Airlines. China’s Shenzhen Airlines and Mesa Air Group of the U.S. launched this new Xian-based domestic carrier in October with Bombardier CRJ200s. AVIC I Commercial Aircraft (ACAC) now claims to hold orders and MoUs for more than 170 ARJ21s.
China plans to fly the airplane for the first time in March and deliver the first airplane to launch customer Shandong Airlines in September 2009. Although it has yet to secure a Western customer, ACAC plans to certify the airplane to international standards with the help of a new FAA office in Shanghai. Some 40 percent of the ARJ21’s components come from outside China, including its GE CF34-10A turbofans and Rockwell Collins Pro Line avionics. 
Meanwhile, Canada’s Bombardier could help develop the fuselage for the planned 105-seat ARJ21-900. Under the proposed partnership, ACAC would spend $400 million in R&amp;D and plant construction to support the Canadian company’s still theoretical C Series.

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

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