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

Just nine years after Gulfstream Aerospace unveiled its largest and longest-range business jet—the G650—and five years after certification, 250 G650s, 120 of them the ultra-long-range G650ER, are plying the world’s skies.
To say that Gulfstream’s timing could not have been better would be an understatement. The G650 tapped into a market that was shying away from smaller jets and eager for a large-cabin ultra-long-range jet that could connect city pairs never before considered.
The G650 also represents a transition for Gulfstream, into the realm of fly-by-wire (FBW) flight controls. While such a move was inevitable—every major business jet OEM has fielded or is developing FBW jets—the G650 is unusual because it’s likely the only FBW Gulfstream that will ever feature the traditional yoke-operated flight controls. The new G500 and G600 are equipped with sidesticks, the control of choice for most FBW designs, but also noteworthy in that their sidesticks are electronically tied to each other and move together as if mechanically connected. The G650 design of two yokes mechanically connected as in traditional flight controls is a lot like Boeing’s FBW designs, thus far also employing yokes because Boeing’s philosophy is that it helps pilots maintain situational awareness when they can see the other pilot’s flight controls moving in concert with their own manipulation of the controls. The G500/G600 active sidesticks (a BAE design) also move in concert, thus maintaining the control-awareness philosophy.
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There are advantages to FBW, independent of the type of cockpit control, and not just a smoother ride for passengers or better protection from exceeding certain flight parameters. For larger jets such as the G650, FBW allows designers to tune the handling of the airplane and give pilots something entirely different from what they might expect.
As a rough analog, after flying the G650ER and last year the <a href="http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2016-12-05/flying-g550">G550</a>, I was able to compare the handling of the two jets. The G550 has classic hydraulically operated controls, which does afford designers some latitude to improve handling, but the G550 is more work to hand fly, somewhat heavy on the controls and heavily dependent on trim to keep the workload comfortable. By comparison, I found the larger and heavier G650ER had much easier handling, something that I have also found with Embraer’s FBW Legacy 450 and 500 and Dassault’s FBW Falcon 8X

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.

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News about bills, laws, regulations and other governmental decisions affecting aviation and aerospace. Topics include FAA re-authorizations, taxes on fuel and aviation activities, environmental legislation, ICAO decisions, governmental mediation of labor conflicts and World Trade Organization disputes and decisions.

News and information on safety procedures and concerns.

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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.

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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.

News and issues relating to international air transport and cargo carriers, national airlines and regional airlines, including aircraft, engines, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security and training.

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Charles Alcock

News about commercial airlines, including regulations, aircraft orders, safety, acquisitions, and mergers.

News about environmental issues relating to aircraft operations, including noise issues, emissisions, and regulations. See Fuel for biofuel.

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