Curt Epstein
Senior Editor
A lifelong aviation enthusiast who joined AIN in 2007, Curt came to the publication from the broadcast industry where he was a national science and technology television reporter and producer. He writes on the FBO field, aviation finance, and sustainable aviation and occasionally contributes to AIN sister publication Business Jet Traveler. Curt was a member of the AINtv reporting staff that won the 2008 Aerospace Journalist of the Year award for Best Airshow Daily. That same year, he was a finalist for another AJOYA award. He earned an AJOYA for Best Business Aviation Submission in 2018 and was a finalist in that category in 2021. He received the National Air Transportation Association’s Aviation Journalist Award in 2012 and won a Pegasus Sapphire Business Aviation Award for outstanding journalism in 2021.
Before joining AIN, Curt worked with Consumer Reports’ television division, CRTV, and for several local television news staffs. An honors graduate of the State University of New York at Stony Brook, he earned a master’s degree in broadcast journalism from Boston University in 1995. Curt lives in New York State with his wife and two young sons.
Latest from Curt Epstein
FBOs
Speedboat Maker StanCraft Opens Upgraded Idaho FBO
StanCraft Jet Center, one of two FBOs at Idaho’s Coeur d'Alene Airport-Pappy Boyington Field has opened its permanent facility.
Maintenance and Modifications
Aviation Blade Services Inks New S-70 Support Deal
Aviation Blade Services has a new partnership agreement to support the main and tail rotor blades on Taiwan's S-70/UH60s.
Engines
Safran Moves Ahead with SAF Testing For Helicopter Engines
Safran’s helicopter engine division is reporting advances in its adoption of sustainable aviation fuel.
Airports
Van Nuys Airport Completes Second Taxiway Rehab
Van Nuys Airport (KVNY), one of the busiest private aviation hubs in the U.S., has completed a 15-month rehabilitation project on Taxiway A.
FBOs
Jet Aviation Geneva Takes Fueling In-house
Jet Aviation has bolstered its services at Switzerland’s Geneva International Airport with the announcement that it has been granted a fueling concession.
Aircraft
Gulfstream G550 Production Reaches End of the Line
Nearly two decades after it entered service, Gulfstream's G550 saw its final commericial delivery this week.
Environment
Rolls-Royce, Shell Team on Decarbonization Goals
Rolls-Royce and Shell have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) that outlines their support for decarbonization of the aviation industry.
FBOs
Paragon FBO Network Grows in Europe
The Paragon Network has expanded its European footprint with the addition of Magnum FBO, which operates facilities in Austria and Slovakia.
Environment
University Researchers Turn Plastic into Jet-A
Researchers at Washington State University say they have developed a process for turning waste plastics into jet fuel.
Environment
World Fuel Offers Carbon Offsets as Rewards Option
World Fuel Services has introduced the purchase of carbon offsets as a points redemption option for its rewards program members.
Swiss Fuel Provider Branches into Trip Support
Switzerland-based aviation fuel provider iFuel has expanded its services to include trip support.
Maintenance and Modifications
MRO Insider Experiences Network Surge
The web platform, which matches customers with service provider quotes, has had a banner month in terms of its network growth.
Maintenance and Modifications
JSSI Adds Maintenance Tracking Provider
Maintenance plan provider JSSI has expanded its industry footprint with the purchase of SierraTrax, which offers aircraft maintenance tracking services.
Airlines
Commercial Aviation in Caribbean Still Has Its Hurdles
For a region highly dependent upon tourism as the Caribbean, air connectivity between islands still can be very difficult.
FBOs
Jet Aviation Buys ExecuJet Zurich FBO, Lux's Swiss Ops
Jet Aviation has expanded its footprint in Switzerland with purchase of ExecuJet’s Zurich FBO and Luxaviation's aircraft charter/management division.
Regulations and Government
TEB To Begin Runway Offset Arrivals in July
The FAA plans to begin implementing the Runway 19 Offset Arrival Procedure for Teterboro Airport starting on July 1.
Environment
Michigan FBO Joins the SAF Set
Premier Jet Services, an FBO at Detroit-area Oakland County International Airport, has become the first in the state to stock permanent supplies of SAF.
Regulations and Government
Bolen Helps Debut Delaware Valley Regional Bizav Group
NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen helped kick off the launch of the Delaware Valley Business Aviation Association (DVBAA) this week.
Aircraft
Blade, Eve Strike U.S. Urban Air Mobility Service Deal
UAM manufacturer Eve and transport provider Blade have struck a deal whereby Eve will provide Blade with eVTOL use starting in 2026.
Cabin Interior and Electronics
SmartSky Expands Honeywell Deal To Include Bizav Connectivity
Honeywell is now a value-added reseller for SmartSky Network's in-flight connectivity for business aviation.
Environment
Study Eyes SAF Benefits in Meeting Environmental Goals
A new study published this week points to SAFs benefits besides lifecycle carbon emissions, and how they must be calculated into aviation's climate impact.
Caribavia Opens with Focus on Aviation's Tourism Role
St. Maarten tourism minister Ludmila De Weever addresses the Covid's affect
Aircraft
Production-conforming AW609 Expected To Fly Soon
The fifth prototype in Leonardo’s AW609 tiltrotor program is nearing final completion at the airframer’s U.S. assembly facility in Philadelphia.
Rotorcraft
Leonardo Delivers First TH-73A Trainer Helicopter to U.S. Navy
In a ceremony yesterday at its U.S. headquarters in Philadelphia, Leonardo Helicopters delivered the first TH-73A training helicopter to the U.S. Navy.
Environment
Signature Adds SAF at Three More U.S. Locations
Signature Flight Support has increased its sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) footprint to nine locations.
Safety
Safety Auditor Offers Vaccination Prize
Aviation Safety Asia is offering fully vaccinated business jet operators a chance to win a safety audit worth $15,000.
FBOs
ExecuJet Adds Israel FBO
The Luxaviation Group subsidiary ExecuJet has expanded its Middle East service footprint to include Israel.
FBOs
Signature Aviation Now Under New Ownership
The world's largest FBO operator was sold five months after the successful bid was placed.
FBOs
PE Firm KKR Buying Atlantic Aviation for Nearly $4.5B
After a 17-year ownership span, Macquarie Infrastructure Corp. has agreed to sell Altantic Aviation and its 69 FBOs to private equity firm KKR.
Safety
When Pilot Proficiency Is Not Enough
While technically proficient in the eyes of regulators, many pilots may not be prepared to handle events outside their comfort zone.
