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

Little Rock, Arkansas-based Central Flying Service has added MX Tailwinds, a maintenance visibility platform, to its redesigned website, allowing customers to access information on maintenance requirements along with the team that maintains their aircraft.&nbsp;
MX Tailwinds integrates with Central’s Corridor maintenance management software and other company software platforms such as Sage and Microsoft Teams, as well as its VoIP telephone system. According to Central, MX Tailwinds provides “a single, continuously updated picture” of the aircraft’s status— including due items, estimated costs, and what maintenance is coming—“before it disrupts a planned trip.”
MX Tailwinds is accessible via the web, a mobile app, scheduled reports, or text updates. Central’s maintenance analysts monitor aircraft activity and upcoming requirements in MX Tailwinds and can contact customers when a decision about a maintenance action is needed. “An owner, a pilot, and a manager can look at the same airplane and need three different answers,” said Central Flying Service president and CEO Phil Jordan. “Because MX Tailwinds runs on the same data our technicians use, each of them gets their answer, and it’s always current.”&nbsp;
These answers serve aircraft owners, to help them track cost and timing of maintenance events; operators who are planning trips when the aircraft is available; pilots who need to review the techlog before a flight; and directors of maintenance who coordinate the work, according to Central Flying Service. “Each sees the same underlying picture, tailored to what their role requires,” the company said.
Central Flying Service developed MX Tailwinds in-house, and there is no extra charge for customers. “Aviation maintenance produces an enormous amount of data,” Jordan said, “including every squawk, work order, part, and labor hour, and most of it gets filed away and forgotten. We saw that as an untapped asset. MX Tailwinds connects every step of our process and uses AI and predictive forecasting to turn that data into what’s coming next: what will be due, when, and what it will cost, well before it grounds an airplane. We’ve been maintaining aircraft since 1939, and we think the next big advances in this industry will come from using the information we already have.”

News and issues about aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO), covering all segments of the aviation industry; and modifications for aircraft and engines. Subjects include product support of aircraft, engines and avionics, MRO company mergers, acquisitions, announcements and personnel, Airworthiness Directives, Supplemental Type Certificate approvals and other topics.

Central Flying Service Invites Customers To View Maintenance Status

In-house-developed system serves all stakeholders involved in supporting aircraft

MX Tailwinds is integrated with Central Flying Service’s Corridor maintenance management software and other company software platforms.

Central Flying Invites Customers To View Mx Status

2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

Charles Alcock

News and developments about airplanes, helicopters and unmanned air vehicles used in all varieties of operations, including airlines, military, business, commercial, general aviation and private.

News and developments about aircraft engines, including turbofan, turboprop, turboshaft and piston.

News and issues relating to the aerospace industry that are related to the science, engineering and business of flight in space involving civil, industrial and military applications, and similar topics related to flight in the atmosphere of the Earth that are not covered more directly by other AINonline subject channels. In other words, both astronautical and aeronautical subjects, except for those aeronautical topics that are specifically covered elsewhere on this website.

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Essential news and analysis on the defense aerospace business. Your trusted source for new and ongoing programs and requirements in military aircraft (manned and unmanned), engines, avionics, weapons and associated systems, including ground-based air defense.

Panel participants included Boeing, Gulfstream Aerospace, and West Star Aviation

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News and developments about everything that goes into the cabin of an aircraft, from floor coverings to headliners, with a special emphasis on in-flight entertainment, communications and other electronics for passengers. If it is in the cabin of an aircraft, it’s covered here.

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