A lifelong aviation enthusiast who joined&nbsp;AIN&nbsp;in 2007, Curt came to&nbsp;the publication&nbsp;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&nbsp;AIN&nbsp;sister publication&nbsp;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&nbsp; Aviation Journalist Award in 2012 and won a Pegasus Sapphire Business Aviation Award for outstanding journalism in 2021.
Before joining AIN, Curt worked with&nbsp;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.

Business Aviation Services Editor

Curt Epstein

Renewable Fuels producer Twelve broke ground today on the start of construction of its first sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) facility. Located in Moses Lake, Washington, it will be the first commercial plant to utilize an ASTM-approved power-to-liquid (e-fuel) pathway for the production of SAF. It will use CO2 and water as its feedstock, converted through the use of renewable electricity.
Scheduled to begin operations by mid-2024, the refinery—which will be built on a repurposed 14-acre site that formerly housed a sugar processing plant—will initially start off with a targeted production of 40,000 gallons of SAF a year, working up to an output of 1 million gallons of SAF annually.
This morning’s ceremony was attended by Governor Jay Inslee (D) who recently approved a tax incentive plan of up to $2 per gallon for the production of SAF in the state. He described the potential of the sustainable aviation fuel market as one of the greatest developments in aviation since the start of powered flight. “I think we are at the same level of innovation, a similar level of change in the world this can create, as the Wright brothers in Dayton, Ohio.”
Last year Alaska Airlines and Microsoft signed a joint memorandum of understanding with Twelve to further the production of e-fuels with an eye towards the first U.S. commercial demonstration power-to-liquid flight.

News and developments about aviation fuel, including jet fuel, aviation gasoline, and biofuel.

Construction Begins on First U.S. Commercial e-SAF Plant 

Renewable fuels producer Twelve broke ground this morning in Washington State on its first commercial scale power-to-liquid SAF refinery.

2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

Charles Alcock

News and developments about airplanes, helicopters and unmanned air vehicles used in all varieties of operations, including airlines, military, business, commercial, general aviation and private.

New developments at airports including regulations and noise issues; legal disputes; openings, acquisitions and mergers.

News and issues relating to business, corporate and private aviation, primarily regarding turbine-engine-powered airplanes and helicopters. Subjects include aircraft, engines, maintenance, operations, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security, and training.

Aéroports de la Côte d’Azur teams with hydrogen business jet developer 

Beyond Aero and French Airports Prepare for H2 Flights

Partners will prioritize applications in Brazil and the U.S.markets

Hitachi and Eve Team to Provide eVTOL Charging 

News about environmental issues relating to aircraft operations, including noise issues, emissisions, and regulations. See Fuel for biofuel.

News and issues relating to international air transport and cargo carriers, national airlines and regional airlines, including aircraft, engines, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security and training.

Energy group supported flight pioneers in the 1920s

Air bp Marks Centennial of Aircraft Refueling Service

Chad Trautvetter

U.S. still relies on imported oil from Middle East for jet fuel

World Fuel: U.S. Jet-A Supply at ‘Critical Levels’

Amy Wilder

News and issues relating to the aerospace industry that are related to the science, engineering and business of flight in space involving civil, industrial and military applications, and similar topics related to flight in the atmosphere of the Earth that are not covered more directly by other AINonline subject channels. In other words, both astronautical and aeronautical subjects, except for those aeronautical topics that are specifically covered elsewhere on this website.

All fuel types showed increases versus March

U.S. Aviation Fuel Prices Rise across the Board

News about commercial airlines, including regulations, aircraft orders, safety, acquisitions, and mergers.

EASA and Eurocontrol are considering measures to save aircraft fuel 

Safety Guidance May Prompt Shift in Fuel Tankering Rules

News and issues concerning the aviation charter and fractional-ownership industries and markets, including company announcements, regulations, new developments and labor issues.

News about bills, laws, regulations and other governmental decisions affecting aviation and aerospace. Topics include FAA re-authorizations, taxes on fuel and aviation activities, environmental legislation, ICAO decisions, governmental mediation of labor conflicts and World Trade Organization disputes and decisions.

More In Fuel

Beyond Aero and French Airports Prepare for H2 Flights

Aéroports de la Côte d’Azur teams with hydrogen business jet developer

Hitachi and Eve Team to Provide eVTOL Charging

Partners will prioritize applications in Brazil and the U.S.markets

Air bp Marks Centennial of Aircraft Refueling Service

Energy group supported flight pioneers in the 1920s

World Fuel: U.S. Jet-A Supply at ‘Critical Levels’

U.S. still relies on imported oil from Middle East for jet fuel

U.S. Aviation Fuel Prices Rise across the Board

All fuel types showed increases versus March

Safety Guidance May Prompt Shift in Fuel Tankering Rules

EASA and Eurocontrol are considering measures to save aircraft fuel

AINsight: Fuel Crisis Could Be Tough Test for Bizav

Charter operators incur sharps spike in fuel costs

Aircraft Operators Face Imminent Jet Fuel Shortages Due to Iran War

The war with Iran is having lasting effects on aviation.

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