Just Do It: Crew of Troubled Nike GV Did
The maiden flight yesterday of Nike’s newest Gulfstream V–a 2002 model acquired by the sneaker giant on November 2–ended uneventfully, but not as originally planned. Carrying Nike president and CEO William Perez, four other Nike executives, two pilots and a flight attendant, the aircraft took off yesterday morning from Nike’s headquarters in Hillsboro, Ore., on an intended trip to Toronto. However, the right landing gear failed to fully retract or lower, getting stuck about halfway up. After more than six hours aloft over Oregon to burn off fuel, consult with Gulfstream technicians and perform emergency procedures that eventually got the gear down and locked, the crew completed a textbook landing back at Hillsboro, not stopping until the aircraft was well inside Nike’s hangar. Speaking to local media about 45 minutes after landing, Perez praised the crew (pilots Dave Newton and Blair Gammon and flight attendant Melody Peters) for their calmness, the professional job they did and for keeping the passengers informed every step of the way.