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

European low-fare airline&nbsp;EasyJet has begun working with GKN Aerospace to support the adoption of the manufacturer’s hydrogen combustion (H2JET) and hydrogen fuel cell (H2GEAR) programs and explore options for flight demonstrations. In a joint announcement on April 28, EasyJet added that it will provide insights into operational requirements and economics among other considerations.
Under a GKN Aerospace-led UK collaboration program aiming to develop a liquid hydrogen propulsion system for sub-regional aircraft, <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2021-01-28/gkn-leads-uk-group-developing-hydrogen-propulsion-sub-regional-aircraft">H2GEAR</a> involves studies on converting liquid hydrogen to electricity within a fuel cell system. Initially, the H2GEAR system will power new and existing aircraft seating up to 19 passengers, but the aerospace group says it could subsequently upscale it for use on larger airliners. According to GKN, the first hydrogen-powered aircraft could enter service in 2026. Along with EasyJet and other airlines, the says it has engaged in talks with several unnamed existing aircraft manufacturers.
The H2GEAR program has drawn £27 million ($34 million) of funding from the UK’s Aerospace Technology Institute program. This amount has been matched by GKN Aerospace and its industrial partners.
<a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2021-07-14/gkn-aerospace-launches-h2jet-hydrogen-fuel-cell-project-sweden">H2JET</a> is a related Swedish collaborative two-year program led by GKN Aerospace to develop key subsystems for gas turbine-based hydrogen propulsion of medium-range civil aircraft.
“Hydrogen-powered aircraft offer a clear route to keep the world connected, with dramatically cleaner skies,” said GKN Aerospace vice president of technology Max Brown. “The UK is at the forefront of this technology. We look forward to working with easyJet and our partners, to develop and industrialize the breakthrough technology to fly aircraft with zero CO2 emissions.”
Along with GKN Aerospace, EasyJet continues to work with partners across the industry such as Airbus, Rolls-Royce, Cranfield Aerospace Solutions, and Wright Electric to accelerate the development of zero-carbon emission technologies and supporting infrastructure. The airline said it believes it could begin flying customers on airplanes powered by hydrogen combustion, hydrogen-electric, or a hybrid of both by the mid- to late-2030s.
In November last year, EasyJet joined Race to Zero, a global UN-backed campaign to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 at the latest. In joining the program, the airline committed to setting an interim science-based target for 2035 and to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
In 2019, EasyJet laid claim to becoming the first major airline in the world to offset the carbon emissions from the fuel used for all its flights and said it remains the only major airline in Europe to do so. 
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Gregory Polek

GKN Aerospace envisions the first hydrogen-powered aircraft entering service in 2026. (Image: GKN Aerospace)

EasyJet partners with GKN Aerospace To Speed Adoption of Hydrogen in Aviation

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