Kerry Lynch stepped into the role of editor of the&nbsp;Aviation International News&nbsp;monthly magazine in May 2022 after serving with&nbsp;AIN&nbsp;for eight years. She joined&nbsp;AIN&nbsp;in December 2014 as a senior editor covering Washington and business aviation news. She has also served on Convention News teams, including as editor of&nbsp;HAI Convention News. Lynch previously spent 25 years with Aviation Week. During her time there, she reported for and later steered&nbsp;The Weekly of Business Aviation, oversaw business aviation content on the&nbsp;Aviation Week Intelligence Network, served on the&nbsp;Show News&nbsp;staff, and held roles as the Washington columnist for&nbsp;Business &amp; Commercial Aviation&nbsp;and&nbsp;Overhaul &amp; Maintenance&nbsp;monthly magazines. In 2021 she was honored with the National Business Aviation Association Platinum Wing Award for lifetime achievement in journalism and was the 2004 recipient of the National Air Transportation Association’s Aviation Journalism Excellence Award. She also has been a recipient of an Aerospace Media Award for business aviation (2022) and NBAA Gold Wing Award (2003, 2024). Lynch graduated from The Ohio State University with a bachelor of arts in journalism.

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The U.S. District Court in Oklahoma City sentenced Bethany, Oklahoma-based Interstate Helicopters and its owner, James Paul Johnson, to fines of more than $50,000 for illegal charter activity. The fines come as the FAA has stepped up its efforts to identify illegal charters and either educate or enforce, depending on the circumstances.

 


The Interstate Helicopters enforcement followed an investigation that found the company “circumvented FAA regulations and operated an illegal fixed-wing charter service” between May 2014 and July 2016, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General (OIG). “Johnson and Interstate Helicopters illegally structured the fixed-wing charters as dry leases between the passengers and the aircraft owners,” the OIG said. Dry leases do not include the provision of crewmembers.

 


Interstate Helicopters directed passengers to enter into pilot-service agreements with the company to obtain pilots and other services for the flight operations. The company agreed to comply with FAA regulations in those agreements. However, it “failed to provide FAA’s Aircraft Registry Branch with copies of Interstate Helicopters’ aircraft lease agreements and notify the responsible FSDO 48 hours before the first flight covered by the lease agreements took off.” These notifications are required under FAA regulations, the OIG added.

 


Interstate Helicopters declined to comment on the enforcement action.

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Interstate Helicopters Fined for Illegal Charter

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