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
EAA AirVenture 2009
That the annual EAA AirVenture show offers a mouth-watering and impossible-to-swallow cornucopia of everything aviation was never more evident than at this
Charter & Fractional
Start-up fractional Jet Republic topples
Jet Republic, which last year announced a plan to buy up to 110 Bombardier Learjet 60XRs and launc
Consequences from Hudson River Midair Continue
Following the August 8 fatal midair over the Hudson River VFR corridor between a single-engine Piper Lance and a Liberty Helicopters AStar, the FAA has ini
Boisture Makes More Changes at Hawker Beechcraft
Last week Hawker Beechcraft chairman and CEO Bill Boisture warned employees that due to “significant economic challenges…we are making a host of difficult
Charter & Fractional
Frax Firm Jet Republic Suspended, Orders Cancelled
Bombardier Aerospace announced today that it has “terminated its firm and conditional order purchase agreement with Jet Republic.” The cancellation removes
Class-action Lawsuit Targets Textron, Cessna Backlog
The City of Roseville Employees’ Retirement System has filed a class-action complaint “on behalf of itself and all others similarly situated” alleging that
Jobs Forum Highlights GA Impact in Arkansas
At the General Aviation Jobs for Arkansas Forum held last week at a hangar at Dassault Falcon’s facility at Little Rock National Airport, politicians joine
SEC Charges Brantley Capital with Securities Fraud
Robert Pinkas, Tab Keplinger and Brantley Capital Management (BCM) have been charged “with securities fraud for overvaluing assets in an investment portfol
Environment
Flight departments develop belt-tightening strategies
Pilots spend an extraordinary amount of time worrying about their jobs, and this is understandable, given the dramatic cutbacks in business aircraft travel
Aircraft
Epic Doors Closed as Founder Disappears
Epic Aircraft’s facility in Bend, Ore., has been locked shut and company founder, chairman and CEO Rick Schrameck seems to have disappeared.
Aircraft
Cirrus Visionary Alan Klapmeier Leaving Company
Although Cirrus Aircraft fielded a large display at EAA AirVenture last week in Oshkosh, Wis., notably missing from the Cirrus exhibit area and Cirrus’s pr
Maintenance and Modifications
PMA Issued for Replacement Airbus Pitot Probes
The FAA issued Parts Manufacturer Approval (PMA) to Aero-Instruments yesterday for a replacement pitot probe that can be installed on the more than 4,500 A
Aircraft
Eclipse Aerospace in Final Push for Eclipse Assets
The trustee in the Chapter 7 bankruptcy proceedings for Eclipse Aviation late last week asked the bankruptcy court to approve the sale of the former very l
Avionics
Avidyne Adds New FMS to Avionics Line
At EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wis., this week, Avidyne introduced its new low-cost FMS400, which provides flight management system functionality but withou
Charter & Fractional
Sunset Aviation Rebrands, Relaunches as Solairus
As of tomorrow, charter/management company Sunset Aviation LLC officially becomes Solairus Aviation.
Aircraft
AIN 2009 Product Support Survey - Part 1: Aircraft
Aircraft manufacturers last year were struggling to build their service networks and capabilities to help a growing number of operators worldwide keep thei
Sonex Testing Market for Jet-powered Sportplane
Sonex Aircraft brought what might be the only new jet-powered aircraft to EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wis.–a research-and-development project intended to ev
Avionics
Honeywell Adds ACE EFB to AV8OR Handheld Line
Honeywell on Sunday introduced a new handheld EFB navigator with a large seven-inch touchscreen display and geo-referenced IFR charts.
Airports
Santa Monica ban cannot stand, FAA rules
The FAA issued a 57-page opinion early last month affirming its decision that the City of Santa Monica, Calif., does not have the ability to prevent certai
FBOs
Bizav busy at South Africa FBOs
ExecuJet Aviation’s South African FBOs have received a welcome boost in traffic handled over the past couple of months.
FBOs
Millville Jet Center closes
New Jersey FBO and maintenance provider Millville Jet Center closed its doors last month.
Airports
Front range airport welcomes Denver traffic
Traffic at Front Range Airport in Watkins, Colo., has grown rapidly, according to airport executive director of aviation Dennis Heap, due to seasonal closi
FBOs
Signature MIA offers private hangar
Signature Flight Support’s Miami International Airport (MIA) base has a private hangar available, perfect for a large flight department, according to a com
FBOs
First Santiago FBO to open next month
Business aircraft heading for the Chilean capital of Santiago will have a new FBO from September with the opening of GDS Aviación at the city’s Arturo Meri
FBOs
Total FBO offers first PCI compliance
FBOs and aviation service providers will soon have to stop using credit card processing services that are not compliant with the Payment Card Industry (PCI
