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 U.S. National Transportation Safety Board confirmed on Tuesday that the British Airways Boeing 777-200ER that <a href="http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/air-transport/2015-09-08/engine-failure-causes-fire-british-airways-boeing-777">caught fire during its takeoff roll</a> at Las Vegas McCarran International Airport on September 8 suffered an uncontained engine failure. Examination of the GE90-85B engine revealed that a portion of the stage 8-10 spool in the high-pressure compressor (HPC) section had failed, shedding fragments that breached the engine case and cowling. Investigators recovered more pieces of the HPC spool from inside the engine for metallurgical examination.

 


The NTSB said it had collected all pieces of the engine’s damaged stage 8 disk rim and found that the fracture started the HPC stage 8 disk web, a part of the stage 8-10 spool. GE continues to perform “high-priority, focused inspections” of HPC hardware from other GE90 engines. The Board added that whatever inspection data it and GE gather will determine any further investigative actions.

News about significant aircraft accidents and information from accident reports.

NTSB: BA 777 Suffered Uncontained Engine Failure

HPC failure shed fragments that breached engine case and cowling

2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

Matt Thurber

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.

Preparation and training resulted in a survivable accident

Bombardier Safety Standdown: Surviving the Fire

Aircraft caught fire and burned after hitting a vehicle

Five Killed in HondaJet Rejected Takeoff Crash at KFFZ

David Jack Kenny

Preliminary and final accident reports, November 2024

Business Aircraft Accident Reports: November 2024

Gordon Gilbert

Fatal accidents were down year over year from 12 to 10

Year-to-date Bizav Accidents Decline

Aircraft touched down on the runway then departed onto a grassy area

Passenger Lands King Air C90 after Pilot Medical Issue

Mark Huber

News and issues regarding all manner of civil and military rotorcraft and their powerplants, including helicopters, tilt rotors and unmanned air vehicles.

Black Hawk had landed on a private airstrip that was also a snowmobile trail

Snowmobiler Who Collided with Army Helo Awarded $3.3M

All five passengers drowned after autorotation into NYC's East River

Jury Awards $116M in Doors-off Helitour Crash

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.

News and information on safety procedures and concerns.

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