Adrian is Auckland bureau chief for Aviation Week, based in New Zealand. He covers commercial aviation in the Asia-Pacific region.
Adrian was previously based in Aviation Week’s Washington office for nine years, writing for a range of the group’s publications and covering many aspects of the commercial aviation industry. He has won Australasian and international awards for his aviation writing.
Prior to joining Aviation Week in 2002, Adrian covered aviation industry and policy issues for two other publishing companies in Washington. He has also worked for newspapers in Texas and New Zealand, covering a wide range of topics. Adrian graduated from Auckland University with a degree in history and English in 1992.
On both sides of the Pacific, reports have been released suggesting viable biofuel industries could be established regionally to meet aviation’s expected demand for renewable jet fuel. One study concludes production of “commercially viable quantities” of jet fuel from biomass “is a feasible option for Australia and New Zealand.” The other says the U.S. Pacific Northwest has the feedstocks, fuel-delivery infrastructure and political will to create a viable aviation biofuels industry.
Aviation experts tell U.S. lawmakers that serious concerns persist regarding FAA’s monitoring of controller operational errors, and that on-the-job sleep breaks could reduce controller fatigue on night shifts. A Senate aviation subcommittee oversight hearing on May 24 focused on two issues: the cause of a recent upward trend in operational errors, and whether appropriate steps are being taken to address controller fatigue.
