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
Aircraft
In the Works: Cessna Citation XLS+
Cessna received FAA certification of the Citation XLS+ on June 2.
Aircraft
In the Works: Dassault Falcon 900LX
Dassault added another wing-letted model to the company’s lineup, the Falcon 900LX, which will replace the Falcon 900EX following certification in the firs
Aircraft
In the Works: Bombardier Learjet 85
Bombardier has chosen its facility in Querétaro, Mexico, to manufacture the composite structure for the Learjet 85.
Aircraft
In the Works: Cessna Citation Columbus
Engineers at Cessna are finishing architecture and layout planning for the Wichita OEM’s largest jet, the fly-by-wire Columbus, and the company revealed ne
Charter & Fractional
Web-based program gives Part 91/135 operators OK to go
If the FAA’s crackdown on charter operational control has taught operators anything, it’s that the number of compliance items that a Part 135 certificate h
Airports
FAA: SMO cannot ban large-airplane operations
The FAA has concluded that the city of Santa Monica, Calif., “is currently in violation of its federal obligations,” a determination made as an initial res
Innovation, funding woes mark rise and fall of Adam
In 1998, entrepreneur George Frederick “Rick” Adam and attorney John Knudsen began a journey that few dare to try and even fewer succeed at, launching a ne
FBOs
FBOs explain sky-high fuel prices
In just one year, the price paid at the refinery for jet-A in the U.S.
Regulations and Government
Nightime Curfew Proposed for Bob Hope Airport
Following the end of the comment period for the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena (Calif.) Airport Authority’s plan to impose a nighttime curfew on Bob Hope Airpor
Aircraft
Excel-Jet Expects Second Sport-Jet To Fly by Year-end
Monument, Colo.-based Excel-Jet plans to bring the composite fuselage of its second Sport-Jet to EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wis., next month and fly the ne
Aircraft
Bizjet Market Expected To Ride Out Economic Storm
“Things are better than they appear,” Sentient Flight Group vice president of aircraft management Gil Wolin said today at the 13th annual Corporate Aircraf
FBOs
Touching Bases: Free portable airport/FBO guide
FltPlan.com released a free airport and FBO guide that can be downloaded onto PDAs such as the Palm Treo, Windows Mobile devices and BlackBerrys as well as
FBOs
Touching Bases: New lease for Beverly FBO
North Atlantic Air at Beverly Airport north of Boston has signed a 40-year lease extension and is adding 7,200 sq ft of hangar space and 50,000 sq ft of tr
FBOs
Touching Bases: IFBOA, JFI cut credit-card costs
Members of the Independent Fixed Base Operators Association (IFBOA) can save money on credit-card processing charges under a new program offered by Jet Fle
FBOs
Touching Bases: DB Aviation building new hangar
DB Aviation is building a new 43,000-sq-ft hangar at its Waukegan (Ill.) Regional Airport FBO.
FBOs
Touching Bases: Kuwait FBO open for business
Since December, business aircraft have been able to park at the new Royal Terminal at Kuwait International Airport, and the facility opened for passenger s
FBOs
Touching Bases: Fuel volumes double at BJC
In the three years that Business Jet Center (BJC) has been open at Oakland (Calif.) International Airport, the FBO has doubled the number of gallons of fue
FBOs
Touching Bases: Midcoast finds permanent work for temporary hangar
While Midcoast Aviation was building yet another new hangar at its St.
FBOs
FBO Profile: Preofessional Jet Center
During Donald Staszko’s 42 years and 30,000 hours of flying and 32 years with American Airlines, he wisely built a real estate and commercial property deve
Touching Bases: Mali could see bizav growth
A study conducted by Millennium Challenge, MWH Americas and HNTB Federal Services projects a 51-percent increase in passenger traffic to Mali’s Bamako Airp
FBOs
Touching Bases: Oxfordjet new FBO name
After buying Oxford Airport in the UK last year from BBA Aviation, new owners the Reuben Brothers and Dawnay Day have selected a name for the airport’s FBO
FBOs
Touching Bases: Ross Aviation buys Bradley Pacific's Hawaii FBOs
Ross Aviation, backed by private equity firm Centre Partners Management, purchased a majority interest in Bradley Pacific Aviation’s five-FBO chain in Hawa
FBOs
Touching Bases: Panorama logs 50th year at HPN
There are fewer and fewer full-service FBOs, the kind that offer charter, maintenance and even a flying school in addition to fuel and aircraft storage.
Regulations and Government
FAA seeks comments on ETOPS OPSEC
The final rule on extended operations (ETOPS) remains mandatory starting on August 13.
Aircraft
Embraer’s Phenom 300 enters flight-test phase
Embraer achieved two milestones on April 29, the first flight of the Phenom 300 light jet and the first time any airplane has made a first flight from Embr
Aircraft
In The Works: EADS Socata TBM 850
After AIN reported that EADS was considering selling its Socata division to French aerospace, defense, nuclear and automotive manufacturin
Aircraft
In The Works: Grob Aerospace SPn
Grob Aerospace has settled on a strategy to perform completions and provide pilot training for its all-composite SPn business jet at St.
Aircraft
In The Works: Embraer Phenom 300
The Phenom 300 made its first flight on April 29, months ahead of Embraer’s previously announced schedule.
Aircraft
In The Works: Cessna Citation XLS+
On April 28 Cessna rolled out the first production version of the XLS+, the latest version of the Citation that entered production in 1998 as the Excel.
Aircraft
In The Works: Cessna CitationJet CJ4
Cessna flew the first prototype CitationJet CJ4 on May 5, with senior engineering test pilot Dan Morris at the controls and engineering flight-test manager
