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.
Australia’s Strategic Airlines is opening an engineering operation at Brisbane International Airport, with the intention of bringing much of its Airbus A320 maintenance in-house. The carrier currently outsources its engineering work, which is performed by John Holland Aviation Services in Melbourne, according to a Strategic spokeswoman. However, the carrier plans to undertake its own line maintenance—up to “A” checks—at its new Brisbane facility. Heavy maintenance is still being reviewed, the spokeswoman says.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood is calling for a study on control tower staffing levels after two aircraft landed at Washington National Airport in the early hours of March 23 without being able to contact the lone controller on duty. The incident happened the week before the House was scheduled to take floor action on the FAA reauthorization bill, which has already passed the Senate. In the Senate version, a controller staffing study also is mandated, notes Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.).
U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood is calling for a study on control tower staffing levels, after two aircraft landed at Washington National Airport (DCA) in the early hours of March 23 without being able to contact the lone controller on duty. As well as the nationwide staffing study, LaHood has directed the FAA to assign two controllers to the DCA tower on the midnight shift, effectively immediately. “It is not acceptable to have just one controller in the tower managing air traffic in this critical airspace,” LaHood says.
