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

Texas-based Blackhawk Modifications is working on FAA STC approval for a Beechcraft King Air 350 engine upgrade that replaces the original 1,050-shp Pratt &amp; Whitney Canada PT6A-60A engines with 1,200-shp (flat-rated to 1,050 shp) PT6A-67As. The engines and new, five-blade composite propellers from MT were recently installed on the company’s King Air 350 testbed and, according to Blackhawk, initial performance has been “promising.”

 


In hot conditions, the company has seen climb rate more than double from sea level to the FL350 service ceiling, reducing time-to-climb to 18 minutes. Cruise speeds have also increased by as much as 37 knots, up to a maximum of 340 knots at engine power limits. The STC will include a new flight manual supplement with full performance specifications for flight-planning purposes.

 


The company expects the initial certification to cover all Rockwell Collins Pro Line II equipped 350s with analog engine instruments, and it is working with Garmin on G1000 compatibility on the initial STC. A separate STC is intended for King Air 350s equipped with the Pro Line 21 avionics suite.

 


Blackhawk said the Hartzell 105-inch-diameter five-blade composite propeller will be available as an option, while Raisbeck Engineering is working to upgrade its newly certified swept, four-blade aluminum propeller assembly to be compatible with the PT6A-67A installation.

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.

Blackhawk Unveils King Air 350 Engine Upgrade

In hot conditions, the company has seen climb rate more than double from sea level to the FL350 service ceiling, reducing this time-to-climb to 18 minutes.

2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

Joseph Carfagna Jr.

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.

Certainty benefits the preowned business aircraft market

AINsight: Election Results and the Fence

Kerry Lynch

Ultra-long-range model has amassed 75 records, many from customer trips

Speed Records Abound for Bombardier's Global 7500

We talk through the process from conception to delivery

Flying Privately: How Aircraft Like the Bombardier Global 8000 Come to Life

Hanneke Weitering

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.

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

AltiSky will assemble, sell, and service VoltAero's aircraft

VoltAero Picks U.S. Distributor for Cassio Hybrid-electric Aircraft 

Jennifer Leach English

Company noncommittal on expanding its lineup upwards, citing $1B investment cost

Embraer’s Plans for a Larger Bizjet Remain Up in the Air

Operations ebbed, backlogs were steady, and available aircraft increased

GJC: Bizjet Market Continues To Stabilize in 3Q2024

Greenville-based charter operator pre-orders 10 eVTOL air taxis

SAI Flight To Operate SkyDrive eVTOL in South Carolina

Charles Alcock

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

More In Aircraft