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 Federal Aviation Administration plans to issue a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) for an airworthiness directive (AD) affecting the 737 Max “in the near future,” the agency said in a statement issued Tuesday. The NPRM will provide 45 days for public comment on proposed design changes and crew procedures devised to satisfy safety concerns identified during the investigations following the Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines accidents, noted the FAA.

 


Meanwhile, final planning has begun for the FAA’s Flight Standardization Board (FSB) and the Joint Operations Evaluation Board (JOEB) review of proposed training for flight crews, based on the design change and crew procedures. An updated Flight Standardization Board report will include the results of the evaluation and also allow for public comment. The JOEB will include regulators from Canada, Europe, and Brazil and will evaluate minimum pilot training requirements. The FSB will issue a draft report for public comment addressing the findings of the JOEB, said the FAA.

 


Other steps include an FAA review of Boeing’s final design documentation to evaluate compliance with all the agency’s regulations. The multi-agency Technical Advisory Board will also review Boeing's&nbsp;submission and issue a final report before&nbsp;a determination of compliance by the FAA.

 


Plans then call for the FAA to issue a Continued Airworthiness Notification to the International Community (CANIC) providing notice of pending "significant" safety actions and will publish a final AD that addresses the known issues for grounding. The AD will advise operators of required corrective actions before aircraft may re-enter commercial service.&nbsp;Only then will the FAA rescind its grounding order. &nbsp;

 


Separately, the FAA said it will retain its authority to issue airworthiness and export certificates for all new 737 Max jets manufactured since the grounding and perform in-person, individual reviews of each aircraft.

 


“The FAA will not speculate when the work will be completed,” it stressed in the statement. “The agency continues to follow a deliberate process and will take the time it needs to thoroughly review Boeing’s work. We will lift the grounding order only after FAA safety experts are satisfied that the aircraft meets certification standards.”

News and developments about airplanes, helicopters and unmanned air vehicles used in all varieties of operations, including airlines, military, business, commercial, general aviation and private.

FAA Ready To Issue NPRM on 737 Max

U.S. authorities expect to propose rulemaking for an AD specifying new 737 Max design changes and crew procedures “in the near future.”

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News and issues relating to business, corporate and private aviation, primarily regarding turbine-engine-powered airplanes and helicopters. Subjects include aircraft, engines, maintenance, operations, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security, and training.

Certainty benefits the preowned business aircraft market

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We talk through the process from conception to delivery

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News and issues about aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO), covering all segments of the aviation industry; and modifications for aircraft and engines. Subjects include product support of aircraft, engines and avionics, MRO company mergers, acquisitions, announcements and personnel, Airworthiness Directives, Supplemental Type Certificate approvals and other topics.

News about simulators and training procedures, as well as workforce.

AltiSky will assemble, sell, and service VoltAero's aircraft

VoltAero Picks U.S. Distributor for Cassio Hybrid-electric Aircraft 

Jennifer Leach English

Company noncommittal on expanding its lineup upwards, citing $1B investment cost

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Operations ebbed, backlogs were steady, and available aircraft increased

GJC: Bizjet Market Continues To Stabilize in 3Q2024

Greenville-based charter operator pre-orders 10 eVTOL air taxis

SAI Flight To Operate SkyDrive eVTOL in South Carolina

Charles Alcock

News and developments about aircraft engines, including turbofan, turboprop, turboshaft and piston.

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