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

On December 6, Amentum and CWS Asset Management (CWSAMS) will hold an auction for the U.S. Treasury Department that includes the HondaJet formerly owned by Michael Avenatti. A former attorney, Avenatti is in prison, having been convicted of extortion of Nike and for stealing millions of dollars from clients.&nbsp;
The jet was <a href="https://bjtonline.com/business-jet-news/feds-seize-michael-avenattis-jet#:~:text=Federal%20agents%20in%20California%20recently,of%20fraud%20and%20tax%20charges.">seized</a> at California’s Santa Barbara Municipal Airport by federal agents in April 2019 when Avenatti was indicted on fraud and tax charges. A contractor flew the HondaJet to Chino Airport in Southern California, where it has been stored since. In the indictment, Avenatti was accused of taking $2.5 million from a client’s $3 million settlement and using the money to buy a portion of the HondaJet.
Preview appointments are available on December 4 and 5 and can be arranged through CWSAMS. The HondaJet has 386.5 hours of total flight time and 343 landings with no damage history. The auction notice states, “Engines are started monthly and ran up, with systems cycled…Being that this aircraft has been in storage since April 2019 and not on a Honda maintenance program since that time, there may be Honda-specific inspections and updates that are needed.”
Proceeds from the auction will be deposited in the Treasury Forfeiture Fund, which helps pay for law enforcement activities and compensation for victims of fraud.

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