Those who don’t live near Santa Monica might be shocked to learn that not all is doom and gloom at the Southern California city’s embattled airport, which is subject to concerted efforts by the city council and its airport commission to close the field in favor of unspecified development plans. Some anti-airporters want to see the property turned into a park, while others suspect that developers are champing at the bit to turn the acreage into far more profitable uses such as office buildings and housing.
Meanwhile, the airport goes on, and to the city’s credit, KSMO is well run, clean, safe, crime-free and regularly a fun place to bring the kids.
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.
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