David A. Lombardo
Contributor
Lombardo covers business aviation maintenance-related issues. He is also a writer and on-air reporter for AINtv. He has over 3000 articles published and is the author of several books on aircraft systems for pilots and on the topic of flight simulation.
He holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in education from the University of Illinois, has taught aviation for over 35 years in industry and as a university professor and academic dean at three different universities. He is also a frequent seminar and after-dinner motivational speaker.
Lombardo holds an A&P Certificate, ATP, CFI and Ground Instructor ratings. He was a corporate pilot and was a research pilot and flight instructor at the University of Illinois. An FAA Safety Counselor for over 25 years, he was one of the original 13 Counselors appointed to the FAA’s Airworthiness Safety Program for maintenance technicians.
Latest from David A. Lombardo
Safety
The unplanned landing
“If you haven’t flown a search-and-rescue (SAR) mission, it is difficult to appreciate just how hard it is to find an aircraft on the ground,” John Desmara
Training and Workforce
Frasca sim add-on helps in pilot hiring
Considering the cost of hiring, training, salary and benefits, it is important to hire the best pilot candidate.
Charter & Fractional
‘ShAirForceOne’ plans ‘frax’ BBJ2 ops by pax hours, not aircraft hours
“The ShAirForceOne program will deliver the ultimate corporate flight experience with respect to safety, security, comfort and productivity,” Art Brown, pr
Maintenance and Modifications
Dallas Airmotive foresees black ink
“There are definite signs the market is improving.
Maintenance and Modifications
PAMA strives to boost its constituents’ image
Determination best describes the mood of this year’s Aviation Services & Suppliers SuperShow attendees.
Experts argue over GA’s future at FAA confab
Several speakers at the FAA’s 10th annual general aviation forecast conference, held in Wichita April 15 and 16, disputed the agency’s numerical prophecies
Maintenance and Modifications
Faulty Fuel Control Snags Some Gulfstreams
Seventeen Gulfstreams with recently overhauled Rolls-Royce Spey or Tay engines were grounded last Friday when a problem was discovered with the engine’s ai
Safety
INS OKs hijackers' visas six months after 9/11
Plato may have been correct when he said, “Only the dead have seen the end of war,” but apparently that does not apply to flight instruction.
Accidents
Final Report: Sailplane wing failure killed Engen and friend
SCHEMPP-HIRTH NIMBUS 4DM, MINDEN, NEV., JULY 13, 1999– The National Transportation Safety Board has issued its final report on the crash o
Accidents
Preliminary Report: Seven people in six-seat Baron 58P
BEECH BARON 58P, SWANZEY, N.H., SEPT.
Maintenance and Modifications
Handheld unit detects flaws in composite structures
NDT International has developed a smaller, less expensive way of providing C-scan images of bond flaws in composites and honeycomb structures.
Westchester Aviation Career Fair
There is a justifiable argument to be made that waiting until students are in college to expose them to a career option is too late.
Training and Workforce
Bizav 101 lacking from future pilots’ curriculum
Where will we find tomorrow’s pilots? The military, long a provider of trained aviators, hasn’t produced sufficient numbers to satisfy the civil aviation d
Accidents
Lack of CVR hampers Wellstone crash probe
Regardless of your political persuasion, the death of Sen.
Accidents
Final Report: VFR approach in dense fog kills King Air pilot
BEECH KING AIR 200, PIQUA, OHIO, AUG.
Accidents
Final Report: 737 overruns runway as crew ignores destabilized approach and company procedure
BOEING 737-300, BURBANK, CALIF., MARCH 5, 2000–At about 1811 PST Southwest Airlines Flight 1455, a Boeing 737-300 (N668SW), overran the de
Training and Workforce
Training gives repair stations an extra edge
“It doesn’t matter how small the operation, training is a key component to safety and success,” Sarah MacLeod, executive director of the Alexandria, Va.-ba
Security
In bizav security, the devil’s in the details
“When it comes to executive protection in an aviation environment, the most common problem is a breakdown in communication between security personnel and t
Engines
Tougher, longer-lived engines are emerging
Turbine-engine technology development is going in two directions.
Accidents
Private Pilot Crashes in King Air on Takeoff
Beech King Air E90, Bloomington, Ill., July 21, 2002–A private pilot and his sole passenger were killed when their Beech E90 (N12KA) crash
Accidents
Nepalese Monsoon Claims Two Twin Otters
de Havilland DHC-6 Twin Otter, Surkhet, Nepal, July 17, 2002–All four (including two crewmembers) aboard the Skyline Airways Twin Otter (9
Accidents
Commander Accident Kills Famous Photographers
Rockwell Aero Commander 690A, Bishop, Calif., Aug.
Accidents
Charter Aircraft Crashes On Circling Approach
Swearingen SA-227-AT, Beaver Island, Mich., February 8, 2001–Two people were killed, two seriously injured and two sustai
Accidents
Fokker tail clips A330
FOKKER F28-100, Manchester, UK, APRIL 6, 2002–A misunderstanding of the flight manual resulted in damage to the horizontal stabilizer tip
Accidents
Gear collapses on landing
CESSNA 441, MEDFORD, ORE., JUNE 18, 2002–The pilot and three passengers on board a Cessna 441 N564AC were uninjured when the airplane’s ri
