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.

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Matt Thurber

European helicopter operator Heli Austria is installing the StableLight four-axis autopilot in its Airbus H125 helicopter. The installation is taking place at Heli Austria’s facility in&nbsp;Sankt Johann im Pongau, Salzburg.
StableLight, which was developed jointly by Thales and StandardAero, is based on Thales’ Compact Autopilot System and received FAA supplemental type certificate (STC) <a href="https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2023-11-20/faa-grants-approval-thales-astar-4-axis-autopilot">approval</a> for the H125 in November 2023. In addition to stability augmentation, StableLight adds stabilized climb flight attitude recovery, auto hover, auto pull-up terrain avoidance, and other typical helicopter autopilot modes. “This enhances mission capability and can help to reduce risks in critical flight phases and adverse conditions such as inadvertent entry into instrument meteorological conditions,” according to Thales and StandardAero.
“Operational and pilot safety are very important to Heli Austria,” said Roy Knaus, CEO, Heli Austria. “We have been eagerly awaiting the opportunity to be the European launch customer of this proven product. The added safety features and reliability [are] a welcomed advantage to our pilots.”
According to Andrew Park, general manager, StandardAero, “The adoption of our StableLight autopilot system demonstrates their commitment to safety and innovation. Once certified by EASA, European H125 operators will be able to reach a new level of safety and efficiency of helicopter operations with the StableLight system.”
“The aircraft is registered in Europe and will return to normal operations without the autopilot until the EASA validation is achieved," a StandardAero spokesman explained.

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The installation of the StableLight autopilot is taking place at Heli Austria’s facility in Sankt Johann im Pongau, Salzburg.

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