Lombardo covers business aviation maintenance-related issues. He is also a writer and on-air reporter for AINtv. He has over 3000 articles published and is the author of several books on aircraft systems for pilots and on the topic of flight simulation.
He holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in education from the University of Illinois, has taught aviation for over 35 years in industry and as a university professor and academic dean at three different universities. He is also a frequent seminar and after-dinner motivational speaker.&nbsp;
Lombardo holds an A&amp;P Certificate, ATP, CFI and Ground Instructor ratings. He was a corporate pilot and was a research pilot and flight instructor at the University of Illinois. An FAA Safety Counselor for over 25 years, he was one of the original 13 Counselors appointed to the FAA’s Airworthiness Safety Program for maintenance technicians.&nbsp;

Contributor

David A. Lombardo

Savoy, Ill.-based Flightstar has purchased the assets of Bloomington Avionics. Under the terms of the agreement the staff at Bloomington Avionics, as well as its assets and services, will transfer to Flightstar’s FBO facility at Champaign-Urbana’s University of Illinois-Willard Airport. Bloomington Avionics operated for more than 30 years at Central Illinois Regional Airport in Bloomington, Ill., as an FAA Class I and II avionics repair station serving owners of high-performance single- and twin-engine aircraft. 
Since the company’s founding in 1978, Flightstar has served as Champaign-Urbana Willard Airport’s only FBO. Operating out of a 10,000-sq-ft corporate terminal facility, the FBO also has a 68,000-sq-ft maintenance facility and employs 120 people. 
“We are excited to integrate Bloomington Avionics into our operation,” said Bill Giannetti, president of Flightstar. “While the name will change to Flightstar, customers will see all the familiar faces they have known for many years at Bloomington Avionics. It is a unique opportunity where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.”

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.

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News and issues relating to international air transport and cargo carriers, national airlines and regional airlines, including aircraft, engines, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security and training.

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.

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News about bills, laws, regulations and other governmental decisions affecting aviation and aerospace. Topics include FAA re-authorizations, taxes on fuel and aviation activities, environmental legislation, ICAO decisions, governmental mediation of labor conflicts and World Trade Organization disputes and decisions.

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