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
Charter & Fractional
NetJets Still Aiming at Profitable Operations
Berkshire Hathaway’s most recent quarterly financial report notes that revenues at its NetJets subsidiary grew by 18 percent compared with the first quarte
Environment
Chevron Global To Stop Marketing Fuel in 27 States
Chevron Global Aviation, which operates five oil refineries, “will withdraw from marketing Chevron- and Texaco-branded aviation fuels in 27 states [approxi
Accidents
Preliminary Report: MU-2 sheds gear in runway excursion
Mitsubishi MU-2B-60, Amarillo, Texas, Feb.
FBOs
Hiller Group buys Air Petro
On May 1, Chevron fuel distributor Hiller Group finalized its purchase of Air Petro, a Chevron-branded distributor in the western U.S.
FBOs
Oakland FBO adds hangar space
Business Jet Center at Oakland International Airport in Northern California has expanded its hangar space to more than 100,000 sq ft with the addition of a
FBOs
Argus International launches Prism Solutions Division
Argus International has hired William Yantiss to lead a new division called Prism Solutions (professional resources in system management).
FBOs
Reno-Tahoe seeks proposals for new FBO facilities
Two FBOs at Reno-Tahoe International Airport are not going to renew their upcoming leases, and the airport has released a request for proposals (RFP) for a
FBOs
FltPlan.com offering APG runway analysis
Flight planning Web site FltPlan.com is now offering runway analysis services by Aircraft Performance Group (AP
FBOs
Heritage celebrating grand opening in Vermont
Heritage Aviation is celebrating the opening of its new 79,000-sq-ft FBO at Burlington International Airport in Vermont on May 20.
Airports
Rifle airport closed for runway, taxiway reconstruction
Garfield County Regional Airport in Rifle, Colo., is closed for seven months
for runway and taxiway construction. The closure applies to fixed-
FBOs
Tac Air displays new design standards
Tac Air held an open house at its Raleigh-Durham International Airport FBO on April 7 to showcase its new interior design standards, which will be rolled o
Regulations and Government
Senate bill: Bye-bye fuel fraud tax
The recently passed Senate FAA reauthorization bill eliminates the so-called fuel fraud tax that has been causing major annoyance and expense for U.S.
Safety
Thick anti-icing fluid a safety concern
The FAA issued a safety alert for operators (Safo 01001) warning operators of aircraft with unpowered elevator controls that control forces may increase af
Environment
Lehigh Valley re-ups with AvFuel
Lehigh Valley Aviation Services, based at Lehigh Valley International Airport in Allentown, Pa., has renewed its branding agreement with Avfuel.
FBOs
Ocean Sky receives new capital
UK-based business aviation services group Ocean Sky has received a £10 million ($15 million) injection of fresh capital from its private shareholders.
Aircraft
Piaggio’s Jet Well Beyond Initial Concept Stage
It’s no secret that Piaggio Aero has been working on developing a jet, and this work has accelerated with the support of shareholders Tata and Mubadala.
Charter & Fractional
Jetalliance forms venture with Aeroflot for Russian charter
Jetalliance Aviation Group and Aeroflot Russian Airlines have formed a joint-venture company called Jetalliance East to offer charter services within Russi
Cabin Interior and Electronics
An Avro Business Jet Fit for Adventurous Types
BAE Systems has contracted with Design Q to develop five concepts for the Avro Business Jet (ABJ) and revealed the first of the new designs–the ABJ Explore
Aircraft
Design Q designs Avro Business Jets for the explorer set
BAE Systems has contracted with Design Q to develop five concepts for the Avro Business Jet (ABJ) and revealed the first of the new designs yesterday–the A
LHT kit allows cabins to be quick changeable
Lufthansa Technik’s new VIP cabin quick-change kit allows operators to switch a narrowbody commercial airline interior to VIP configuration overnight.
Avionics
SolidFX readers display Jepp charts
Pilots who are tired of carrying around kilos of paper terminal charts might like digital chart readers
Aircraft
HondaJet Program Logs Another Delay
Honda Aircraft this week began notifying HA-420 HondaJet buyers that the program has again been delayed.
Aircraft
Embraer bides its time while building bizjet line
“The economy is getting better this year,” said Claudio Camelier, Embraer vice president of market intelligence executive jets, but it will take some time
Cessna fleet arrives en masse to put rough patch behind it
Cessna Aircraft has brought 10 of the company’s current in-production fleet to the EBACE 2010 static display, including eight Citation jets (Mustang, CJ1+,
Cessna adds Spain service center, mobile service unit in France
Cessna Aircraft will begin construction of its new service center in Valencia, Spain, next January and expects to open it in 2012.
Bombardier Boosts Training Infrastructure
Bombardier’s training network will employ five additional business jet simulators in the U.S., Europe and the Middle East by early next year, according to
Cessna: ‘Long, Slow’ Bizjet Recovery Starting in 2011
“Cessna’s been through a rough 18 months,” said chairman, president and CEO Jack Pelton at an EBACE press conference this morning.
Regulations and Government
Smart Parts sales tax not unusual
Operators of Bombardier jets are dismayed because they
