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

Rockwell Collins has signed a general terms agreement with Comlux, which will see it provide the Swiss aircraft completions provider with a comprehensive product portfolio, including avionics, cabin management, content and entertainment options, seating, and lighting and galley products, along with ArincDirect Wi-Fi and flight services.

 


“Through our agreement and...access to Rockwell Collins’s extensive product portfolio, we can perform optimum completion cycles and operational balance without compromising the design and level of elegance of our VIP cabins,” explained Scott Meyer, CEO of Comlux completions. “We are able to provide cost-efficient solutions in terms of cabin technology, warranty, and spares, and we ensure our customers enjoy the best VIP cabin experience over the entire life cycle of their aircraft, not only the completion.”

 


Engineering work on the first two aircraft under the five-year contract is now under way, with Rockwell products being selected for a BBJ retrofit, and for the first BBJ Max to be delivered. Rockwell Collins will also have the opportunity to provide solutions for all Comlux completions and retrofit projects, as well as have access to its charter fleet to validate design, obtain crew/passenger feedback, and certify new projects.

 


“This arrangement provides new possibilities for the customers served by Rockwell Collins because of the breadth and depth of cockpit to cabin solutions available,” said Scott Gunnufson, Rockwell’s vice president for commercial systems business development, adding it’s the first offering of this magnitude for the company. “Comlux VIP customers will be among the first to benefit from our comprehensive solutions that feature leading-edge comfort, entertainment, and connectivity solutions.”

 


Rockwell Collins (Booth V71, SD08) was also tapped by Switzerland-based AMAC Aerospace to provide a full suite of cabin products for the world’s first Airbus ACJ320neo. AMAC will begin outfitting the aircraft before year-end. It is due to be delivered to UK-based Acropolis Aviation in the fourth quarter of 2019.

 


The completion will include Rockwell Collins’s Venue HD cabin management and entertainment system, its Airshow moving map, and Viu LED interior lighting system, along with its Stage on-demand wireless content streaming solution that entertains passengers with a library of more than 1,100 Hollywood digital rights management-protected movies and television shows, as well as business news, weather and sports feeds. Stage was recently installed in Acropolis’ ACJ319.

 


“In choosing Rockwell Collins to provide the cabin management system for our new aircraft, we are continuing a successful relationship that began in 2015 and continues to the introduction of Stage earlier this year,” noted Acropolis CEO Jonathan Bousfield. The work will also include 4K displays, wireless remote applications for a more convenient user experience, and other energy/weight saving measures.

 


“Acropolis will be among the first customers to experience our expanded cabin offering featuring industry-leading comfort and entertainment solutions all from one source, said Craig Olson, Rockwell Collins’s vice president and general manager for business and regional systems. “We are committed to delivering a new level of productivity and enjoyment to VIP passengers in all aircraft types, and we look forward to working with AMAC Aerospace as they outfit the first ACJ320neo.”

 


Additionally, Execujet Africa is finishing up the installation of Rockwell Collins’s Stage on-demand content streaming platform on a Bombardier Global belonging to charter provider Bestfly. It marks both the first such installation in the region as well as the first on a Global. The project also includes Inmarsat’s Ka-band Jet Connex as Rockwell Collins is a value-added reseller of the satellite network connectivity as part of its ArincDirectSM product.&nbsp; The new services will allow passengers to access wireless streaming content on their smartphones, tablets, and laptops.

 


“The business market in Africa has really grown in recent years,” noted JP Rivet, the Iowa-based company’s director of EMEA marketing and business development. “We look forward to helping even more VIP passengers in this region enjoy the same entertainment options in the air as they do on the ground.”

News and developments about everything that goes into the cabin of an aircraft, from floor coverings to headliners, with a special emphasis on in-flight entertainment, communications and other electronics for passengers. If it is in the cabin of an aircraft, it’s covered here.

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