Sean Broderick covers aviation safety, MRO, and the hardware side of the airline business from Aviation Week Network's Washington, D.C. office.
Broderick's aviation career started in 1991, working for Airbus in Toulouse. His industry experience includes four years with an aviation consultancy, where he helped launch a U.S. Part 121 carrier; 12 years with the American Association of Airport Executives, where he served as editor of Airport Magazine; and 20 years in full- and part-time roles with Aviation Week writing primarily about safety and the aftermarket.
Broderick was named the 2020 Aerospace Journalist of the Year by the Aerospace Media Awards. He also shared in a 2020 Neal Award for Best News Coverage with Aviation Week Network colleagues. Broderick and Aviation Week colleague John Croft shared the 2015 Flight Safety International Cecil A. Brownlow Publication Award recognizing "significant contributions by journalists to aviation safety awareness."
He graduated from James Madison University with a B.S. in Communications ('91) and earned an M.S. in Integrated Marketing Communications ('13) from West Virginia University.
Boeing is putting a three-phase plan in place to address significant concerns turned up in a non-routine FAA audit completed earlier this year that found the manufacturer's production facilities lax on following approved procedures.
Engine OEMs Pratt&Whitney and GE teamed to propose in a letter to FAA a radical tightening in the Federal Airworthiness Regulations (FAR) regarding spare engine parts produced under parts manufacturing approval (PMA), a move that prompted an equally strong letter from leading PMA manufacturer HEICO Aerospace decrying the proposal. FAA will review the letters over the course of the next couple of years and decide on what, if any, actions it might take on the proposal.
Operators are balking at FAA's recently revised service difficulty report (SDR) program, questioning if the agency's more stringent collection requirements will translate into tangible safety benefits.
