Matt Thurber
Editor-in-Chief
Matt Thurber, editor-in-chief at AIN Media Group, has been flying since 1975 and writing about aviation since 1978 and now has the best job in the world, running editorial operations for Aviation International News, Business Jet Traveler, and FutureFlight.aero. In addition to working as an A&P mechanic on everything from Piper Cubs to turboprops, Matt taught flying at his father’s flight school in Plymouth, Mass., in the early 1980s, flew for an aircraft owner/pilot, and for two summer seasons hunted swordfish near the George’s Banks off the East Coast from a Piper Super Cub. An ATP certificated fixed-wing pilot and CFII and commercial helicopter pilot, Matt is type-rated in the Citation 500 and Gulfstream V/550. Based in the Pacific Northwest, Matt and his team cover the entire aviation scene including business aircraft, helicopters, avionics, safety, manufacturing, charter, fractionals, technology, air transport, advanced air mobility, defense, and other subjects of interest to AIN, BJT, and FutureFlight readers.
Latest from Matt Thurber
FBOs
Castle & Cooke opening FBO in Hawaii
In the third quarter property development company Castle & Cooke will open a new FBO at Honolulu International Airport, sited on the 3.2-acre former Ci
Aircraft
Bombardier debuts upgraded CRJ900
Bombardier Aerospace unveiled a series of updates to its CRJ900 regional jet during a June 5 event at the Signature Flight Support FBO at Washington Dulles
Avionics
OP Technologies develops SR22 avionics
Avionics manufacturer OP Technologies is about to enter the market for TSO’d avionics in FAA-certified airplanes.
Aircraft
In The Works: Comp Air 12
Comp Air is firming up plans to certify the single-engine turboprop Model 12, having agreed to work with Downing Aviation Associates “to secure funding, en
Aircraft
In The Works: Utilicraft Aerospace FF1080-300ER
Design of Utilicraft’s prototype FF1080-200 twin-engine freight-hauling turboprop has been finalized, and the airplane is scheduled to fly in January, acco
Aircraft
In The Works: Gulfstream Aerospace SSBJ
Recent news reports that Gulfstream plans to build a prototype supersonic business jet (SSBJ) by 2013 are inaccurate, according to a company spokesman.
Aircraft
In The Works: Epic Aircraft Elite
Epic’s Elite VLJ made its maiden flight on June 7 from Redmond, Ore.’s Roberts Field.
Charter & Fractional
Air-taxi operations steal spotlight at VLJ conference
Air-taxi operators and potential operators used a recent VLJ forum, “Business Models for VLJs and Light Jets,” to outline their plans for using the new cla
Training and Workforce
Industry makes progress on VLJ training standards
Mentoring, where a more experienced pilot flies for some time with a new very light jet buyer until the owner gains confidence and experience, is receiving
Training and Workforce
Opinicus readying Eclipse simulators
Simulator manufacturer Opinicus is in the final stages of completing four full-motion simulators and one fixed training device for the Eclipse 500 very lig
Aircraft
Bombardier: NextGen RJ will have lower costs
Bombardier Aerospace is showing its CRJ900 NextGen regional-jet here in 76-seat guise and the uniform of Northwest Airlines subsidiary Mesaba Airlines less
Heico gets BA’s first PMA parts order
Aftermarket parts manufacturer Heico has jump-started sales of FAA-approved PMA replacement parts to airlines with a new agreement it signed with British A
Aircraft
OEMs turn attention to single-engine jets
The race is on; the first manufacturer to certify, build and deliver a single-engine jet that offers reasonable performance and price might have the market
Training and Workforce
Training aid targets approach accidents
Approach and landing accidents cause 45 percent of hull losses, according to the Flight Safety Foundation (FSF), despite the fact that this phase of each f
FBOs
Galaxy Aviation: Florida chain looks beyond state lines
Galaxy Aviation is, for now, a small regional FBO chain with five bases in Florida and ambitions to extend the company’s brand of family-atmosphere custome
FBOs
XJet opens at Centennial
XJet’s private jet facility at Denver’s Centennial Airport opened late last month.
FBOs
New hangar at Opa Locka Airport
Miami Executive Aviation celebrated the groundbreaking for a new hangar at Opa Locka Executive Airport in Miami on May 23.
FBOs
Jet Source celebrates 10 years
After 10 years of building a large charter/management company and full-service FBO at McClellan-Palomar Airport in San Diego, Jet Source is preparing to ex
FBOs
FalconTrust plans new hangars
FalconTrust Air at Kendall-Tamiami Executive Airport in Miami, is preparing to build a 34,320-sq-ft storage hangar next to its FBO.
FBOs
Encore adds two FBOs
The budding Encore FBO chain added two FBOs, with the May acquisition of Sun Western Flyers at Laughlin/Bullhead International Airport in Bullhead City, Ne
FBOs
Execujet sold to Dermot Desmond
Irish entrepreneur Dermot Desmond has acquired a majority shareholding in the entities that compose ExecuJet Aviation Group, which provides charter/managem
FBOs
Afton FBO supports Airpark
An alternative airport is now available for those flying near Jackson Hole, Wyo.
FBOs
Santa Monica neighbors want shorter runway
According to NBAA, during the last week of April, the Santa Monica, Calif., airport commission voted to adopt a proposal to create runway safety areas usin
FBOs
Macquarie's expensive expansion
The most recent Securities and Exchange Commission quarterly 10-Q report filed by publicly traded Macquarie Group revealed that the company is paying $85 m
Bizav makes a big splash at Sun 'n' Fun
The annual Sun ’n’ Fun event in Lakeland, Fla., is similar to the Experimental Aircraft Association’s AirVenture Oshkosh, with its emphasis on sport aviati
Aircraft
In The Works: Evektor EV-55
Evektor has begun prototype assembly of the EV-55 Outback, a nine- to 14-passenger unpressurized turboprop.
Aircraft
In The Works: Bell/Agusta Aerospace BA609
Early in the second quarter, Bell/Agusta Aerospace reported that the BA609 civil tiltrotor program had logged 137 flights and 159 flight hours on ship 001,
Aircraft
In The Works: Eclipse Aviation Model 500
It’s been more than seven years since Vern Raburn launched the Eclipse 500, a small, low-cost very light jet that he predicted would bring “disruptive tech
Safety
FAA turns up the heat on icing issue
Summer is almost upon us in the northern hemisphere, but the FAA is embroiled in two significant icing-related issues: a proposed new rule for when de-ice
Aircraft
PC in hand, Eclipse steps up production
As of mid-May, Eclipse Aviation had begun construction of Eclipse 500 number 62, and numbers 15 and 16 had received their certificates of airworthiness, ac
