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.

Senior Editor

Curt Epstein

With some in aviation <a href="https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2024-05-29/saf-slowly-grows-europe-questions-abound">questioning</a> the industry’s ability to meet the European mandates being set on sustainable aviation fuel use (SAF), EASA has set up an SAF clearinghouse. Similar to the UK’s <a href="https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/aerospace/2024-04-25/uk-launches-clearing-house-assist-saf-certification">efforts in April</a> to support the production and adoption of SAF, the EU version will “remove as many barriers as possible to support the EU [and] international deployment of SAFs as well as the approval of new pathways.”
Intended to streamline the regulatory processes, it will act as a one-stop shop for fuel producers, providing them with everything needed for efficient standard evaluation under ASTM D4054 (the standard for new SAF pathways), including partial funding for testing and report writing. According to EASA, SAF currently accounts for less than 0.05% of total EU aviation fuel use, and meeting the goals set in the announced mandates will require a variety of production pathways and new feedstocks.
“The demand for SAF will grow ever more to meet the goals set in the <a href="https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/air-transport/2023-06-19/eu-sets-worlds-largest-saf-blending-mandate">ReFuel EU Aviation Regulation</a> and increasingly reduce the emissions from aviation,” said Maria Rueda, EASA’s director of strategy and safety management. “Via the EU SAF Clearing House, EASA wants to ensure that the fuel industry gets the support needed to succeed in developing SAF for aviation so that their innovation efforts are not in vain and more SAF is brought to the market.”

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

EASA Establishes Clearinghouse for Sustainable Aviation Fuel Production, Use

Move follows a similar effort in the UK in April

Following the UK's lead in April, EASA has established the EU SAF Clearing House to support the development of the European sustainable aviation fuel industry.

EASA Establishes SAF Clearinghouse

2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

Charles Alcock

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.

Altitude changes have reduced climate impact by at least 40%

Regional Airline and Thales Reduce Contrail Emissions

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

News and developments about aircraft engines, including turbofan, turboprop, turboshaft and piston.

Energy Capturing Pods are installed close to engine ground run locations

Airfoils Generate Electricity from Jet Thrust at Airports

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.

News and issues concerning general aviation, specifically airplanes and helicopters powered by piston and alternative engines (i.e., non-turbine powered aircraft). Subjects include aircraft, engines, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security and training.

Race will be held in October at Ohio’s Springfield-Beckley Municipal Airport

Air Mobility Center of Excellence To Host Pulitzer Electric Aircraft Race

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.

Update to Destination 2050 Net Zero report includes new policy demands for European Commission

European Aviation Groups Demand Net-zero Policy Progress

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

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.

Vermont’s Heritage Aviation is the first customer to sign on

Avfuel Brings SAF to Northeast U.S. Via New Jersey

Sarah Rose

Company aims for renewable energy at all sites by 2030

Embraer Hopes for Bright Skies Ahead with Solar Installation

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

Designation expands deicing service offerings

Western Aircraft Joins Goodrich Deicing Service Network

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.

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