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

Bombardier manufactures a variety of business aircraft models, provides engineering, and aircraft maintenance services.

Curt Epstein

Bombardier Learjet 55, Casper, Wyo., March. 17, 2009–The Canadian-registered Learjet, operated by Sunwest Aviation, suffered substantial damage due to burst tires and a landing gear fire after a second aborted takeoff run at Natrona County International Airport. On the initial takeoff attempt, the tower controller notified the pilots that he thought he saw smoke coming from the left engine, causing the crew to abort the takeoff, exit the runway and perform an engine power check. They noted no abnormalities.

The twinjet then taxied back to the runway for a second try. At 80 knots the crew heard a bang as the airplane yawed to the right. As the captain called for a second abort, the crew heard a second bang. The crew was able to slow the airplane and steer it onto a taxiway. When they opened the cabin door they noticed a fire near the left main landing gear. At the time of the accident, the crew reported the aircraft weight to be 20,772 pounds, nearly 500 pounds higher than the manufacturer’s calculated maximum brake energy weight. According to the Learjet 55 flight manual, a rejected takeoff at a weight above the maximum brake energy weight requires a mandatory high-energy stop inspection. The flight crew and the two passengers were uninjured in the incident.

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Bombardier Learjet 55, Casper, Wyo., March.

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