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 fifth Boeing 747-8 Freighter took to the air for the first time today from Paine Field in Everett, Wash. The airplane, dubbed RC523, flew for three-and-a-half hours, during which time it conducted the standard two-and-a-half-hour “B1” flight profile that Boeing conducts on all production airplanes before delivery, as well as an hour of engineering testing.
“The airplane performed well,” said Andy Hammer, 747-8 test program manager. “It was a fine start to the test plan for this airplane.”
Expected to remain based at Paine Field throughout its entire testing regime, RC523 will mainly perform function and reliability testing.
Last September, Boeing announced plans to add a fifth airplane to the flight-test fleet to recover some “margin” it lost as a result of flight-test discoveries such as buffeting at flap setting 30 and, later, a low-frequency wingtip vibration in certain flight conditions and an underperforming aileron actuator. Now hoping to gain certification some time around midyear, Boeing originally had scheduled <a href="?q=node/26662">first delivery</a> of the 747-8 Freighter during the fourth quarter of 2009.

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.

Fifth Boeing 747-8 Freighter Enters Flight-test Program

The fifth Boeing 747-8 Freighter took to the air for the first time today from Paine Field in Everett, Wash.

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