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

A month after signing a letter of intent with German start-up airline <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2022-06-16/new-german-airline-evia-aero-plans-hydrogen-islander-operations">Evia Aero&nbsp;</a>to supply 10 hydrogen fuel cell conversion kits for Britten-Norman Islander aircraft, the UK’s Cranfield Aerospace Solutions (CAeS) has seen its current investment round increase to £14.4 million with a fresh funding injection by the Tawazun Economic Council of the UAE and California-based Motus Ventures, Cranfield Aerospace said on Friday.
CAeS has worked on its new propulsion system since 2019 and has received UK government funding through&nbsp;<a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2021-11-30/customer-and-partners-board-project-fresson-steps-hydrogen-commuter-plans" target="_blank">Project Fresson</a>. While the company initially planned to produce a hybrid-electric power system,&nbsp;it abandoned that plan last year in favor of using hydrogen fuel cells with wing-mounted fuel tanks instead, as it determined that the hybrid system would not be viable for its performance objectives.&nbsp;
The Tawazun Economic Council participates in the project through its Strategic Development Fund investment arm, which invests in emerging technology companies ranging from aerospace and urban mobility to advanced manufacturing and energy storage. Motus Ventures describes itself as an early-stage venture capital fund and “business accelerator,” investing in groundbreaking start-ups involved in disciplines such as artificial intelligence, robotics, and autonomous vehicles. &nbsp;
“We are very excited to welcome our new investors—Tawazun SDF and Motus Ventures—to join us on our journey in&nbsp;delivering the world’s first fully certified zero-emissions commercial passenger aircraft to the market,” commented Paul Hutton, CAeS’s chief executive. “To continue the work on Project Fresson we need private investment. The onboarding of Tawazun SDF and Motus Ventures shows the confidence and trust they have in our experience and ability to deliver the technology needed to create the future of aviation.”
Now in its sixth decade of production, the Islander aircraft now runs on a pair of either piston or turboprop engines provided by Lycoming or Rolls-Royce, respectively. <a href="https://www.futureflight.aero/news-article/2022-07-13/cranfield-aerospace-secures-first-customer-modified-green-islander-aircraft">CAeS </a>will replace the engines with a fuel cell and electronic motors that run on hydrogen gas.&nbsp;
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Gregory Polek

Currently powered with a pair of piston or turboprop engines, the ubiquitous Britten-Norman Islander could run on hydrogen propulsion by 2025. (Photo: Britten-Norman)

Cranfield Aerospace Draws Fresh Funding from UAE and California-based Investors

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