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
Aircraft
Pilot training essential to improve MU-2 safety
MU-2 operators can expect to have to complete a more stringent flight-training program, similar to a type rating, as a result of the FAA’s inquiry into the
Maintenance and Modifications
Dassault M&O focuses on product-support services
Dassault Aviation highlighted its renewed emphasis on product support at this year’s Falcon Jet Maintenance and Operations meeting.
Gulfstream lawsuit tackles copyright issues
Gulfstream Aerospace has asked U.S.
FBOs
Landmark Opens ‘Flagship’ FBO
Landmark Aviation CEO Roger Wolfe celebrated the grand opening of the FBO and maintenance chain’s refurbished Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) facil
Regulations and Government
Why the FAA Believes the Landing Distance Safety Margin is Necessary
The FAA listed reasons why it believes that the 15-percent landing distance safety margin policy is needed:
• The agency surveyed operators’
Regulations and Government
FAA changes landing distance rules for commercial operators
After a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-700 ran off a snowy runway while landing at Chicago Midway Airport on December 8 last year, the FAA launched an inter
FBOs
Landmark refurbs Dulles FBO
Landmark Aviation completed a $300,000 upgrade of its Dulles International Airport FBO interior in June, marking another in the FBO chain’s series of new f
FBOs
Mercury opens new PHF FBO
Mercury Air Centers opened its new FBO terminal at Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport (PHF) on June 7, with new general manager Mike Agee at t
FBOs
Enterprise FBO touts new canopy at Houston Hobby
In mid-June, longtime Houston Hobby FBO Enterprise Jet Center opened a new 300,000-sq-ft FBO facility fronted by a 10,000-sq-ft canopy large enough to fit
FBOs
Moffett reopens at Lakefront
The Million Air FBO at Lakefront Airport in New Orleans reopened the historic 1930s-era art deco Moffett hangar, following repairs of damage sustained duri
FBOs
McKinney adding new hangar
Aeros Aviation, which owns completion and refurb shop McKinney Aerospace, is building a new corporate hangar at Collin County Regional Airport in McKinney,
FBO Profile: Premier Jet
The recently completed Premier Jet FBO at McClellan-Palomar Airport in Carlsbad, Calif., isn’t just an FBO; it’s a new kind of facility that Premier backer
FBOs
KCAC expands to St. Louis
This month Kansas City Aviation Center will open its second FBO and maintenance facility in a new building that it purchased at Spirit of St Louis Airport
Aircraft
Crossroads opt for Green FBO
Crossroads Aviation planned to break ground last month on an energy-saving multimillion-dollar “green” FBO building at Anoka County-Blaine Airport in Minne
Charter & Fractional
FlightWorks opens facility at Manassas
At busy Manassas Regional Airport near Washington, D.C., FlightWorks has opened its third hangar/office facility for charter and aircraft management custom
Safety
AmSafe retrofit inflatable belts coming soon for general aviation
In the third quarter, the FAA is expected to begin awarding supplemental type certificates for installation of AmSafe inflatable seatbelts in dozens of mod
Regulations and Government
How helicopter-friendly are America’s biggest cities?
If a city is to be considered friendly to helicopters, by what criteria would this friendliness be measured? The number of heliports? Heliports per capita?
Maintenance and Modifications
3M pilot project tests RFID tags for tool tracking
The number of tools needed for a modern business jet maintenance shop and the hassles of keeping track of their whereabouts and calibration status seem to
Regulations and Government
Provisional certification: it’s still subject to change
Assuming the marketplace wants the aircraft, nothing is more important to an aircraft manufacturer than FAA type certification–the government seal of
Safety
Industry teams to address runway information issues
The Southwest Airlines Flight 1248 overrun accident at Chicago Midway Airport last December 8 has led to two significant developments for operators.
FBOs
FBO Chain Profile: The Chain with No Name
This chain has no name but owns 22 FBOs, is backed by a large investment firm and continues to seek opportunities to build or buy more.
FBOs
FBO and Airport News: Business Jet Center Renovates Oakland Hangar
The old Alaska Airlines maintenance hangar at Oakland International Airport in the San Francisco Bay Area is now a clean corporate hangar operated by OAK F
FBOs
FBO and Airport News: Business Aviation Services Opens New Terminal
The new terminal at FBO Business Aviation Services, Joe Foss Field, Sioux Falls, S.D., opened July 11.
FBOs
FBO and Airport News: Ascend Expanding to Stewart
Ascend Development is expanding its private hangar complex operations to Stewart International Airport in Newburgh, N.Y.
FBOs
FBO and Airport News: LANDMARK LOSES VNY BID
Aviation (The Jet Center) facility at 16200 Daily Drive.
Airports
FBO and Airport News: EXECUTIVE AIRPORT SPROUTING IN HOUSTON
Ron Henriksen christened his new airport’s 5,000-foot runway on August 6 by making the first landing on the freshly built airport in his Piaggio Avan
Aircraft
Post-maintenance stall tests raise safety concerns
An incident on May 4 this year in which a Hawker 800A lost more than 10,000 feet during a post-maintenance stall test underscores the potential risks of st
Airports
Engine emissions draw ire from airport neighbors
An onerous legislative proposal to mandate emissions monitoring at Santa Monica Airport (SMO) in Southern California was rejected by the state senate.
Avionics
Not all datalink services are created equal
When it comes to the market for business aircraft datalink messaging services, three companies have settled into sharing and competing for most of the avai
Research tests composites’ fire-resistance
The release of an Australian university’s study of how fire affects composite materials has caught the attention of the aerospace industry, given the growi
