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

Horizon Air on December 30 became the first scheduled-service passenger carrier to operate a flight using wide area augmentation system (Waas) technology. Equipped with dual Universal Avionics UNS-1Ew flight management systems, Horizon’s only Waas-capable 76-seat Bombardier Q400 carried out the trailblazing mission on a flight from Portland to Seattle.
Using the new Waas instrument approach, known as “localizer performance with vertical guidance” (LPV), the Horizon Q400 can land at any airport with an updated navigation database. U.S. airspace contains more LPV approaches than instrument landing system (ILS) approaches, which involve the use of older, ground-based radio signal systems for landings in lower-visibility weather. 
The FAA has agreed to support Waas upgrades on six more Horizon Q400s. In 2006 Horizon became the first regional carrier certified for RNP approaches, which use onboard nav equipment and GPS. Waas uses additional satellites that monitor GPS signals and corrects for any errors in GPS satellite position.

Horizon Blazes Waas Trail

Horizon Air on December 30 became the first scheduled-service passenger carrier to operate a flight using wide area augmentation system (Waas) technology.

2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

AIN Products

SUBSCRIPTIONS

RESOURCES

ABOUT AIN