Business aviation showed its heart in many ways during the holiday season, but three events in particular highlighted the extraordinary generosity found among the amazing people who drive this industry.
NBAA Air Traffic Services sent out a message on NBAA Air Mail before Christmas, asking for help arranging a flight for the family of TSgt Joe Lemm, a New York City detective and New York Air National Guardsman who was killed in Afghanistan in December. A generous NBAA member arranged to fly Lemm’s father, wife and an assistant from Dubuque, Iowa, to New York City for the holidays.
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.
