NYCAviation

On July 6, 2004, the site experienced its first redesign where it took on a more organized look that included a listing of news and plane spotting guides for New York-area airports.

The site's growth brought about their second redesign, which debuted on June 26, 2009.[2] It now features expansive news pages, regular articles and plane spotting guides serving airports far beyond the New York City limits. Derner recruited Matt Molnar as the site's Editor, leading the redesign's construction and managing through the site's news content. Recent popularity has been gained for the site through its "On This Day In Aviation" daily postings, and by keeping its followers in-the-know with regular updates on Twitter and Facebook.

The site's third redesign launched on February 20, 2012.[3] With a more modern look, it expanded on growing article categories for visibility, incorporated a blog for the two site owners, added a Job Listings feature and made deeper parts of the site more accessible and faster loading. The announcement also hinted at more features in the future which have not been announced at this time.

In late January 2013, NYCAviation's Editor-in-Chief Matt Molnar, died at the age of 33, creating both personal and professional challenges among the small, close-knit team. Matt's loss led to a dramatic downturn in published content over the coming months, also impacted by the resignation of Jeremy, their Project Manager. This led to operational restructuring by Founder Phil Derner in expanding the team to 9, including new positions in the form of a team of Editors, a Producer, Event Planner, Project Manager, Marketing Strategist and the hiring of a publicist, all in preparation of adding several new features and services to the business in 2014.

NYCAviation spotting guides offer enthusiasts many resources for practicing their hobby at airports around the world. Adding a new airport guide on average of about one per week, they contain four tabbed pages that are complete with airfield statistics, radio frequencies, approach plates, and spotting maps.[4] The spotting map pages show various locations for aviation photography throughout the airport, and also share a detailed description of directions to the various locations, photo tips and examples of the kind of photographic views one can achieve.

Coverage includes news pertaining to the airline industry, event coverage, and a look back at aviation's past, often with a humorous twist. A news calendar on the site also informs people of coming and past dates of changes in airline routes or aircraft types and upcoming events.

The site has broken a number of stories that would later be picked up by major news organizations and grow into international headlines, including the news of the treasured Concorde aircraft's damage in Brooklyn,[5] and the unlikely closure of a runway at JFK International Airport due to an invasion of diamondback terrapin turtles.[6]

Articles are posted offering commentary on current aviation news, educational pieces on the airline industry, and entertaining stories from the experiences of longtime pilots, industry insiders and frequent business travelers.

NYCAviation's message boards allow its members to share plane spotting tips and photographs, discuss aviation industry news and events, and broader topics such as politics and humor.

Through their extensive internet interactions, NYCAviation members have created a vibrant offline community as well. It is common for members to arrange plane spotting outings, special aircraft arrival gatherings and seasonal events. The recent addition of active Twitter and Facebook presences has also helped the community grow.