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

More than five weeks since the <a href="http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/2013-09-16/bombardier-cseries-takes-flight">Bombardier CSeries FTV1 flew for the first time</a>, the airplane has flown only two more times, taking its flight hour total to eight. According to Bombardier, the apparently slow pace of flight testing in no way suggests a new delay, however, and the original goal to win certification and place the airplane into service within a year of first flight remains in place. In June Bombardier Commercial Aircraft president Mike Arcamone told AIN the company planned to fly all five flight-test vehicles within three months of first flight.


In an interview with AIN last Friday, Bombardier Commercial Aircraft marketing vice president Philippe Poutissou said the CSeries would fly again once engineers finished an upgrade to its Parker Aerospace fly-by-wire flight control system to allow the airplane to operate in “normal” mode. Test pilots flew the airplane in so-called direct mode during the first three flights, without the full aid of the fly-by-wire system.


“It’s been part of the design of the flight test to do that first bit initial assessment on the direct mode, and the next block of testing I believe we will be going into normal mode,” said Poutissou. “So we have to basically roll [out] that software on the fly-by-wire.”


Calling the flight test program “fairly fluid,” Poutissou wouldn’t estimate when the airplane would fly again. “They’ve been doing a number of things on the ground and I guess when they complete the tasks that they need to do to get productive testing in the next round they’ll be taking to the skies, although we haven’t specified a date.”


He added that FTV2 has reached a “very advanced” state of readiness for its own first flight. Again, however, he could not offer a first-flight target, nor could he indicate what test regime the company has planned for each of the five flight-test vehicles.


Finally, on the company’s plans to gain certification within a year of first flight, which happened on September 16, Poutissou could report nothing new.


“That’s basically the plan that we’ve said all along, that it’s nominally 12 months until first flight,” he said. “But that’s also part of what we’re assessing right now.”


Meanwhile, fuselage parts for the first CS300 have recently begun arriving at the final assembly site in Mirabel, Quebec, reported Poutissou.


&nbsp;

News and developments about airplanes, helicopters and unmanned air vehicles used in all varieties of operations, including airlines, military, business, commercial, general aviation and private.

CSeries Awaits Fly-by-Wire ‘Upgrade’ Before Flying Again

2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

New developments and products in avionics, specifically about aircraft electronics in the cockpit.

News and issues concerning general aviation, specifically airplanes and helicopters powered by piston and alternative engines (i.e., non-turbine powered aircraft). Subjects include aircraft, engines, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security and training.

We went flying in a SR22 G7+ to experience it ourselves.

The Cirrus SR Series G7+ Is the First Autoland-equipped Piston Aircraft

Amy Wilder

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.

Avionics, human factors drive next phase of flying

CJ4 Gen3 P1 Jet Joins Textron Flight Test Program

Hanneke Weitering

Team USA and LA28 organizers sign exclusive deal with Archer Aviation

Archer Named ‘Official Air Taxi Provider’ for 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles

Matt Thurber

S-512 promises “low-boom” Mach 1.6 travel

Spike Aerospace Resurfaces Supersonic Bizjet Candidate

News about commercial airlines, including regulations, aircraft orders, safety, acquisitions, and mergers.

News and issues concerning the aviation charter and fractional-ownership industries and markets, including company announcements, regulations, new developments and labor issues.

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.

German start-up Vaeridion is now getting support from the automotive division of Bosch

Electric Microliner Makes Pitch To Be a Travel Disruptor 

Curt Epstein

Since October, the group has spent 750 hours on the effort

Learjet Restoration Project To Move into NDT Phase

Pilots can enjoy modern safety enhancements in a 1930's-inspired package.

With a Design Refresh, Junkers Aircraft A50 and A60 Still Honor Germany’s Rich Aviation Heritage

Charles Alcock

News about simulators and training procedures, as well as workforce.

News and issues relating to the aerospace industry that are related to the science, engineering and business of flight in space involving civil, industrial and military applications, and similar topics related to flight in the atmosphere of the Earth that are not covered more directly by other AINonline subject channels. In other words, both astronautical and aeronautical subjects, except for those aeronautical topics that are specifically covered elsewhere on this website.

More In Aircraft