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

As it prepares for the early June opening of a temporary FBO at Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport in Thermal, Calif., Desert Jet Center has broken ground on a permanent $5 million home. The FBO will be the third service provider at the airport.

 


“Today is the culmination of a vision that began more than five years ago to bring a full-service aviation company to the city of Thermal, the County of Riverside and the [Coachella] valley,” noted Desert Jet president and founder Denise Wilson. The company already offers Part 145 maintenance and aircraft charter and management services at Thermal, and announced late last year that it will be entering the FBO arena there as well.

 


An initial building schedule was delayed to accommodate required architectural revisions to improve landside access, according to the company. With a revised completion date of next January, the five-acre Desert Jet Center will provide a 10,000-sq-ft terminal, office and maintenance space, along with a 22,500-sq-ft hangar that can accommodate G650-size business jets thanks to its 130-foot-wide, 28-foot-tall doors. The company signed on as an Epic-branded dealer, and is in the process of installing its fuel tank farm, which when complete will hold 48,000 gallons of&nbsp;jet-A.

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

Desert Jet Breaks Ground on FBO

Already a presence at Jacqueline Cochrane Regional Airport, with maintenance and aircraft charter management, Desert Jet prepares to offer FBO services.

2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

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.

Airport last owned the facility in the early 2000s

Illinois Airport Reacquires Sole Service Provider

The complex is viewed as the cornerstone of an aviation conglomerate

Major Las Vegas Hangar Complex Changes Hands

Projects totaled more than $5 million in infrastructure development

Oklahoma Airport Gets More Hangars, Upgraded Ramp

The facility will lean heavily towards sustainability

Clay Lacy Aviation Starts Construction on New KSNA FBO

News and issues regarding all manner of civil and military rotorcraft and their powerplants, including helicopters, tilt rotors and unmanned air vehicles.

More In FBOs

Illinois Airport Reacquires Sole Service Provider

Airport last owned the facility in the early 2000s

Major Las Vegas Hangar Complex Changes Hands

The complex is viewed as the cornerstone of an aviation conglomerate

Oklahoma Airport Gets More Hangars, Upgraded Ramp

Projects totaled more than $5 million in infrastructure development

Clay Lacy Aviation Starts Construction on New KSNA FBO

The facility will lean heavily towards sustainability

NATA Panel Examines FBO Preparation for eVTOL Service

OEMs and FBOs talk about how electric aircraft can be accommodated at FBOs

NATA Conference Panel Examines FBO Consolidation

While the big chains take a more selective approach, others remain hungry

Atlantic Aviation Gets Lease Renewal Approval in Aspen

The decision is the latest in a nearly two-year saga at the airport

Clay Lacy Aviation Gets Nod for Sun Valley FBO

Construction is expected to begin next year

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