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

The latest “issue” affecting the Boeing 787 has the manufacturer investigating improper installation of a component associated with its engine fire suppression system. Japan’s All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines on Wednesday each reported problems with at least one of their 787s that, in ANA’s case, delayed a flight from Tokyo Haneda Airport to Frankfurt for an hour and 42 minutes Wednesday morning. After receiving word about the ANA incident, JAL decided to inspect its entire 787 fleet and abort a flight en route to Helsinki and return it to Tokyo Narita. The airline re-accommodated the 183 passengers on another 787 some 7 hours and 15 minutes after the original departure time.


Subsequently, ANA said it found similar problems with two more of its 19 Dreamliners. As of yesterday, JAL’s inspection of three of its ten 787s revealed no further defects. According to JAL, in the event of a fire in one engine, the improper installation could have resulted in the discharge of fire suppressant to the wrong engine.


Contacted for comment, Boeing would only confirm its awareness of the issue and its participation in the probe into the incidents. “The safety of those flying on Boeing airplanes is our top priority,” it said. “We will thoroughly examine this issue and take the appropriate steps.”


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Boeing Looking Into 787 Fire Suppression Fault

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