Matt Thurber
Editor-in-Chief
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.
Latest from Matt Thurber
Avionics
Avionica STC Connects Aircraft Wirelessly
Avionic's avWiFi router is now STC approved for a number of Boeing types as well as the DHC-8-200.
Airports
AIN Blog: We Shouldn't Say Goodbye To So Many Airports
The U.S. is losing too many airports, and the big reason is lack of support from local communities.
Accidents
Lessons Learned From Execuflight Accident, Says Company President
Execuflight is beefing up its safety processes as a result of the fatal accident in November 2015.
Avionics
ForeFlight Performance Planning Goes Live
ForeFlight's new Performance Plus tier adds flight planning for high-performance aircraft.
Airports
City Picks Option for Runway-shortening Project
The option selected by the City of Santa Monica would see the remaining 3,500 feet of runway centered where the existing runway is located.
Airports
Universal uvGo App Moves to Apple Phones
The Universal Weather and Aviation uvGo app will be available on the iPhone this summer.
Maintenance and Modifications
Advent Aircraft Earns STCs for Anti-skid Braking
Advent's anti-skid braking system for the PC-12 was certified in April and is now available for installation by Advent dealers.
Cabin Interior and Electronics
BizjetMobile Solves Low-cost Connectivity Conundrum
BizjetMobile offers three solutions to help keep airborne connectivity costs as low as possible.
Avionics
TrueNorth Adds Voice to Data Link Unit
The DLU-vox can be used for datalink communications via ACARS, ADS-C (contract), and CPDLC (controller-pilot datalink communications
Cabin Interior and Electronics
Inmarsat Adds Rockwell Collins as Global Xpress VAR
Rockwell Collins will be a value-added reseller of Global Xpress high-speed satcom under an agreement with Inmarsat.
Cabin Interior and Electronics
ArincDirect Aims for Next Generation Flight Services
Rockwell Collins's ArincDirect is focusing on integration, innovation and cabin services.
Avionics
L3’s Display Simplifies Cockpit Upgrades
The L3 Aviation Products EFI-650 is TSO approved and installable via an approved model list supplement type certificate.
Maintenance and Modifications
ATP's Custom Alerting Reduces Discrepancy Downtime
The new custom alerting feature in ATP's ChronicX emails notifications automatically about recurring defects.
Avionics
Pro Line Fusion Touchscreens Aim for Challenger 604 Cockpit
Rockwell Collins is developing an STC to upgrade the Challenger 604 to the Pro Line Fusion touchscreen flight deck.
Avionics
Wabnet’s Aviator Wifi Offers Low-cost Satcom
Owners of smaller business aircraft have been looking for low-cost satcom systems, and Wabnet's Aviator Wifi fills that need.
Safety
APG Adds Dynamic Curtailment to W&B Calculations
Dynamic curtailment is an important factor for larger business jets where passengers and equipment move around during flight.
Avionics
Garmin Enters Head-up Display Market
Garmin's new head-up display offers unique features, including "intelligent dimming" and Garmin's SurfaceWatch alerts.
Maintenance and Modifications
Textron Aviation Customer Portal Simplifies Maintenance Support
The customer portal is rolling out for all customers this year, and provides visibility into maintenance events at Textron Aviation service centers.
Safety
FAA Opts Out of Punishment for Harrison Ford Taxiway Landing
Here's what really happened when actor Harrison Ford landed on a taxiway at John Wayne Airport.
Aircraft
Epic Aircraft E1000 Flying Toward FAA Certification
The all-composite E1000 is targeting the hot market for high-performance turboprop singles.
Avionics
FAA, Nav Canada and Aireon Test Space-based ADS-B
Messages from the space-based system proved comparable to those from the ground-based system.
Avionics
First Gogo 2Ku System for Bizjet Goes Live
The satellite communications system is designed for larger aircraft.
Avionics
Avionics Sales See Slight Uptick in First Quarter
Revenues were up only slightly, but the period marks an end to a downward trend.
Avionics
En Route Data Comm, Not Ready for Prime Time?
A draft FAA advisory circular outlines the path to en route Data Comm services.
Avionics
Max-Viz 2300 EVS Certified to DO-160G
The Max-Vix 2300 multi-spectral imaging system is designed to work with combined vision systems.
Aircraft
Stratos Is Serious About Single-engine 714
The first flight of the Stratos 714 single-engine jet last year shows that the program is back on track.
Avionics
Don’t Throw Away Those CRTs
Thousands of CRT displays are still flying in older business aircraft and regional jets, and they can still be repaired.
Airports
Santa Monica Proponents Achieve Settlement Review
The appeals court is referring a case regarding the Santa Monica Airport to a merits panel for further review.
Avionics
ForeFlight and Jeppesen Form Mobile App Alliance
The alliance between ForeFlight and Jeppesen brings benefits to both companies' customers, including Jeppesen charts on the ForeFlight Mobile app.
Training and Workforce
APS Expands Upset Training for Airbus Pilots
Aviation Performance Solutions now offers Airbus fly-by-wire upset prevention and recovery training for airline customers.
