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
Rotorcraft
Innovative Bell Shows Radical Rotorcraft
Bell's new FCX-001 concept helicopter offers a glimpse into future rotorcraft technologies.
Rotorcraft
Bell 525 Prepping To Resume Flight Testing
Bell Helicopter XworX engineers are forging ahead on testing of Bell 525 systems in preparation for the resumption of flight testing.
Rotorcraft
CMC Introduces CMA-6024 GNSS for Helicopters
CMC is offering demonstrations of its new helicopter cockpit demonstrator at Heli-Expo 2017.
Rotorcraft
Airbus Continues Product Support Improvements
Airbus Helicopters customers are benefitting from the company's switch to an electronic business model.
Rotorcraft
Gill Issued PMA for Bell 407 Sealed Lead-acid Battery
The Redlands, Calif., battery manufacturer's sealed lead-acid battery has been selected as standard equipment for the Bell 407 GXP.
Rotorcraft
HeliTrak's R22 Collective Pull Down Ready to Ship
The collective pull down system lowers the collective automatically in a low rotor rpm situation.
Rotorcraft
Electric Mobility: Coming to a Crowded City Near You?
Research is accelerating on electric passenger-carrying aerial vehicles, possibly leading to new ways to travel in urban environments.
Rotorcraft
Airbus North America Grows Market Share
Orders include some from 20 new customers, five of which are new helicopter owners or operators.
Rotorcraft
Heli-Expo 2017 Set To Break 2013 Record
This year's Heli-Expo features the new HAI Connect meetup area with demonstrations and presentations, new product demos and hot topic seminars.
Rotorcraft
True Blue Power Adds Bell 505 as Lithium-ion Customer
Bell's selection of the True Blue Power TB-17 lithium-ion main-ship battery should help lower operating costs and improve availability.
Avionics
XLS Owner Signs Up for Elliott G5000 Upgrade
Elliott Aviation's Garmin G5000 upgrade for the Citation Excel/XLS will shave about 175 pounds from the jet's empty weight.
Avionics
Garmin Dealers Develop ADS-B STCs for Older Jets
Garmin's ADS-B solutions for older jets can save owners and operators tens of thousands of dollars.
Avionics
Mid-Canada Mod Adds CL604 FAA Fans Approval
The Mid-Canada Mod Center STC adds Fans 1/A+ capability to the Challenger 604 as a standalone upgrade.
Charter & Fractional
Surf Air Adds Service to San Diego Airport
The all-you-can-fly charter provider will soon offer flights to San Diego's Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport.
Charter & Fractional
NTSB Accident Report Highlights Charter Ops Audit Questions
Auditing firms want to clarify the difference between audited charter operators and those for which they provide information only.
Airports
NBAA Petitions Court To Review SMO Shutdown Agreement
Despite the FAA's agreement to allow Santa Monica Airport to be closed in 2028, NBAA and others are fighting to keep the airport open.
Rotorcraft
Bell V-280 Valor Prepping for Flight-test Program
Bell's next tiltrotor design is 93 percent done and conducting ground testing in preparation for first flight around September 2017.
Avionics
AirSatOne Lowers SwiftBroadband Airtime Rates
Operators can see price reductions of as much as 18 percent.
Training and Workforce
Technology Advances Flight Training Field
Pilot training is entering a new era thanks to rapid advances in technology and lower cost training tools.
Training and Workforce
Stomaching Jet Upsets
AIN Senior Editor Matt Thurber spends a day in all-attitude jet upset training at Aviation Performance Solutions.
Aviation Apps: New Features Make Mobile Devices Ever More Useful
Developers of aviation applications have been busy adding features and coming up with new ways to present information.
Regulations and Government
AIN Blog: Taking the Scissors to FAA Regulations
Do we truly need all FAA regulations, or have some run their course?
Charter & Fractional
JetSuiteX Delays Santa Monica Service Plan
The charter operator's scheduled service between Santa Monica, San Jose and Carlsbad, Calif., has been delayed.
Airports
FAA Caves In to City Demand To Close Santa Monica Airport
Under an agreement between the FAA and the city of Santa Monica, the city's airport will be closed permanently at the end of 2028.
Avionics
Archangel Dual-use Avionics Help Military Fly Longer
The useful lifetime of the CH-47 Chinook military helicopter could be extended with installation of dual-use Archangel sensors.
Charter & Fractional
NATA Charter Town Hall Helps Operators ID and Solve Problems
The National Air Transportation Association is holding a series of Air Charter Town Hall meetings throughout the U.S. this year.
AIN Blog: Is Flight-sharing Dead? (It’s all Uber’s Fault, Part 2)
The Supreme Court elected not to hear a case involving a flight-sharing company's attempt to offer services to the general public.
Safety
Disaster Airlift, Red Cross Partner on SMO Exercise
The disaster-preparedness event highlighted Santa Monica Airport's status as critical infrastructure in southern California.
Maintenance and Modifications
Maximum View Bubble Windows Improve AS350 Hover View
The Swiss Rotor Solutions modification for the Airbus AS350/H125 helicopter improves pilot field of view when looking down by 10 times.
Avionics
Astronics Advances EmPower Product Line
The EmPower system will be used on the Cessna Denali.
