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

While Gulfstream celebrates the 47th anniversary of the first flight of its first business jet this month, that very aircraft is in the process of becoming a museum piece, following a long service career. Grumman Gulfstream II S/N 0001 (built at the company’s Bethpage, N.Y. facility before the business jet division moved to Savannah), first flew on Oct. 2, 1966. After the certification flight-test program it was refurbished and sold to entrepreneur Robert Galvin, Motorola Corporation CEO, in 1970. The meticulously maintained twinjet, now known as N55RG, served as his private aircraft for 44 years, until his passing in 2011 at the age of 89. 
Noting the historical significance of the aircraft–the direct ancestor of every Gulfstream jet since, right up to the company’s current G650 flagship–the Galvin family wished for it to be preserved in a museum. It was donated and flown to the Carolinas Aviation Museum at Charlotte Douglas International Airport in North Carolina last year and will eventually serve as the centerpiece of an exhibit on business aviation. The airframe–which still bears the Grumman insignias–has less than 10,000 hours flight time, and while it received numerous equipment upgrades (such as new engines and a Honeywell Primus Epic avionics suite) during its lifespan, it once again features original equipment. After the aircraft arrived at the museum, Gulfstream attached its original Rolls-Royce Spey 511 engines and reinstalled the original-issue avionics in the cockpit. According to museum president Shawn Dorsch, the aircraft is complete right down to its logbooks, original cockpit flashlights and cabin-service items. He expects the GII to be on display near the “Miracle on the Hudson” Airbus A320 by the end of next year.

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.

First Gulfstream To Highlight Bizav Exhibit

2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

Matt Thurber

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.

All-composite light jet will feature windowless cabin

Otto’s Phantom Bizjet Promises Midsize Performance and Comfort

Charles Alcock

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.

Manufacturer is exhibiting this week at Catarina Aviation Show in São Paulo

Brazil ANAC Approves Ultra-long-range Gulfstream G700

The annual event featured hundreds of exhibitors and more than 3,000 visitors

NBAA Northeast Regional Draws Crowds to White Plains

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

News and issues about aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO), covering all segments of the aviation industry; and modifications for aircraft and engines. Subjects include product support of aircraft, engines and avionics, MRO company mergers, acquisitions, announcements and personnel, Airworthiness Directives, Supplemental Type Certificate approvals and other topics.

Agreement calls for orders of up to 200 of Joby's four-passenger vehicles 

Saudi Group Agrees to be Distributor For Joby's eVTOL Aircraft

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.

AirVenture 2025 to host two of the company’s airships

Goodyear Blimp Celebrates a Century in Flight

News and information on safety procedures and concerns.

News about simulators and training procedures, as well as workforce.

First pilot-on-board flights featured conventional takeoffs and landings

Archer’s Midnight eVTOL Aircraft Starts Piloted Test Flights

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.

More In Aircraft

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NBAA Northeast Regional Draws Crowds to White Plains

The annual event featured hundreds of exhibitors and more than 3,000 visitors

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Pipistrel’s Velis Electro Is a Trailblazer for Electric Aviation

Textron subsidiary Pipistrel is the first manufacturer that has certified an electric aircraft.

Citation: Cessna’s Revolutionary Jet

Cessna’s original Citation broke new ground for small business jets

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