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

Last year, Ameco and Lufthansa Technik signed a memorandum of understanding for cooperation in business aircraft services, and now that has strengthened with the addition of technical support for Chinese aircraft operators and a new narrowbody VIP business jet cabin design called “Nature’s Touch.”

 


Designed initially for outfitting the Airbus ACJ320, Nature’s Touch is also adaptable to the Boeing BBJ. The design “combines the cultures of East and West,” according to the companies, “exploring the harmonious beauty in the symbiosis of nature, technology, and human demands [and] offering a brand-new business jet traveling experience for customers.” ABACE visitors can experience the Nature’s Touch concept at Ameco’s booth (B335) and at the Lufthansa Technik booth (B323).

 


The conceptual interior employs traditional Chinese colors, including creamy moonlight beige, bamboo green, and jade crimson, complementing a subtle striping of bamboo wood grain and bamboo elements that include knuckles, leaves, and woven artifacts, which blend with other natural materials such as marble, leather, wool, and silk. “The exuberant diversification of colors and textures expresses the vitality of nature.” And the bamboo motif signifies the plant’s tall, straight nature, “never withering, but being unyielding…a symbol of character of moral integrity, resistance, modesty, and loyalty since ancient times.”

 


The cabin layout features a galley that can be used for live cooking, a guest area, lounge, dining and meeting zone, cinema, and master bedroom. The lounge is fitted with a convertible sofa and coffee table as well as a bar with transformable dividers. In the cinema, passengers can watch movies on a 75-inch roll-up/down screen. An integrated bar is available to segregate the meeting area for private conferences.

 


The human-centered design extends further into passenger interfaces with cabin systems, such as hidden passenger system control units, intelligent cabin signs, touchscreen desktop, smart shade windows, voice- and gesture-controlled cabin-management and inflight entertainment system, and plenty of ambient light. For convenience, wireless mobile device chargers are installed on horizontal surfaces throughout the cabin.

 


Lighting and atmosphere match the mood and surroundings, for example, a business scenario could include live data from the aircraft’s high-speed airborne connectivity system while lighting suggests a business-style ambiance. Music and entertainment servers can display data from entertainers and help “visualize the music mood” in a leisure and entertainment scenario, including projections on the cabin wall and ceiling that help promote feelings of well-being and relaxation.

 


“Inheritance of intelligence and culture, combination of smart and comfortable cabin, all of this is the common expectation of Ameco and Lufthansa technology,” said Feng Bin, deputy general manager of Ameco’s Beijing facility and head of aircraft cabin solutions. “The collision between the East and the West brings new development direction for business jet cabin products.”

 


“With this new concept we want to showcase our joint vision for the next generation of cabin technology,” said Jan Grube, Lufthansa Technik head of Asia sales. “Here, Chinese design and German technology play hand in hand. Lufthansa Technik's many years of experience in perfect craftsmanship and engineering know-how and Ameco's deep insights into the Chinese culture and customer wishes form a symbiosis that can fulfill every wish—expressed or unspoken—for Chinese customers.”

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