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&amp;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.

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Matt Thurber

Honeywell Aerospace and the Phoenix Aviation Department have signed an agreement to study adding Surface Alert (SURF-A) to ground vehicles at Phoenix Sky Harbor International (KPHX), Goodyear (KGYR), and Deer Valley (KDVT) airports.&nbsp;
With the ability to send real-time aural and visual alerts to pilots when their aircraft is on a trajectory to collide with another aircraft on the same runway, SURF-A, combined with a digital airport map, will “bolster operators’ real-time situational awareness,” according to Honeywell. This will be the first time airports use this collision-avoidance technology on ground vehicles, and it uses GPS, ADS-B, and software analytics “to pinpoint the exact location of traffic hazards up to 30 seconds before impact.”
Ground vehicle operators will get the same aural alerts and “traffic on runway” alerts that pilots receive in SURF-A-equipped aircraft. Testing is set to begin this month and be completed by year-end.
“This is a new frontier in runway safety,” said Honeywell Aerospace president and CEO of electronic solutions Bob Buddecke. “Pilots need direct alerts of potential runway collisions, but so do fire truck, ambulance, and other drivers that can be at risk of a high-speed collision on a runway. Airport vehicle operators have been asking for this technology because an early alert can mean the difference between a safe pass and a major collision.”

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Ground vehicle operators will get the same aural alerts and “traffic on runway” alerts that pilots receive in SURF-A-equipped aircraft.

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