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.

Editor-in-Chief

Matt Thurber

For years in the latter part of the 20th and early 21st century, aircraft OEMs and start-up firms fielded supersonic business jet designs that never went further than highly <a href="https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2023-01-03/developers-keep-eyes-supersonic-hypersonic-prize">detailed concepts</a>. One of those designs, the Spike Aerospace Spike S-512, which was never built nor took flight, has been resurrected by company founder, president, and CEO Vik Kachoria.&nbsp;
When Spike was last actively pursuing development of the S-512, plans called for first flight in 2021 and deliveries beginning in 2023. The jet was expected to fly at up to Mach 1.6 with 22 passengers and have a range of 6,200 nm.&nbsp;
Now, according to Kachoria, “The silence is over. Spike Aerospace has returned, ready to reshape the future of flight. Over the past few years, we sharpened the Spike S‑512 Diplomat concept, expanded our leadership, and refocused our strategy. Now that work shifts from drawing board to runway as we pursue low‑boom Mach 1.6 travel for global business.”
Atlanta-based Spike Aerospace is recruiting aerodynamicists, propulsion leads, and program managers; “engaging” with suppliers; and “preparing for near‑term investor discussions tied to defined engineering milestones.”
“We’ve always believed in the promise of supersonic travel,” Kachoria said. “Now the technology, the market, and the regulatory climate are lining up, and Spike is ready to lead.”

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