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

On the heels of the announcement that Signature Flight Support’s bid for an $82 million FBO development project at San Jose (Calif.) Norman Y. Mineta International Airport was endorsed by the airport’s evaluation committee, Atlantic Aviation, the incumbent services provider on the field, has filed an appeal of the decision, asking that its proposal to last summer’s request for proposal process be reconsidered.


Signature–whose offer included a partnership with Blue City Holdings, a company representing the personal aircraft of the principals at Google–calls for a 29-acre facility that includes 240,000 sq ft of hangar space and a 10,000-sq-ft executive terminal.


Atlantic, which opened a $20 million facility at the airport in 2008 and claims $60 million in investment overall at San Jose, said its existing 250,000 sq ft of hangar space is only 60-percent occupied at present.


Atlantic CEO Louis Pepper told AIN that a new FBO lease should not be granted until the fate of the airport’s idle Runway 11/29 is determined. He fears that if the airport decides to expand the runway rather than permanently close it, the airport could requisition property from the adjoining Atlantic leasehold.


Atlantic’s appeal could be discussed publicly tomorrow at the next committee meeting, but no decision will be made until the city council votes on the matter at a future meeting.


But for now, there are no delays to plans for Signature's new facility at the airport. "Signature Flight Support is proud to have scored 991 points out of a possible 1000 in a public and very transparent bid process.&nbsp; We are looking forward to Signature San Jose becoming part of the vibrant Silicon Valley community at one of the United States’ most underserved airports. Signature San Jose will create new jobs and a positive economic impact.&nbsp; We plan to bring the benefits of our global network to San Jose and offer a world-class flight support experience and a new choice for customers travelling to the valley,” said Signature Flight Support president and COO Maria Sastre.

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

FBO Titans Clash At California’s San Jose Airport

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