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

Six general aviation organizations—NATA, AOPA, GAMA, HAI, EAA,&nbsp;and NBAA—today called for better pricing transparency in communications between FBOs and aircraft operators. Over the past two years, AOPA has been asserting that FBO pricing is often unfair.

 


<a href="http://nata.aero/data/files/gia/pdf%20final%20version%20bbp%20with%20logo.pdf">The “Know Before You Go” list of recommended best practices</a> states that service providers should post their current retail charges and fees online in a clear, user-friendly manner&nbsp;so that “a pilot operating a general aviation or corporate-configured aircraft type in routine personal or business use can make an informed decision.” The declaration stated that while fuel prices for locations are currently readily available through multiple websites, it is not common practice to post other potential fees that pilots might incur.

 


As part of the best-practices doctrine, FBOs are urged to invite and encourage customers to contact them before use to ask questions, aiding customers in their effort to evaluate options and make informed decisions. The associations added that FBOs should move “expeditiously to implement these practices.”

 


Last week, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) <a href="https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2018-10-26/gao-investigating-faa-oversight-fbos?utm_campaign=AIN%20Alerts&amp;utm_source=hs_email&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;utm_content=67013363&amp;_hsenc=p2ANqtz-91OQC0-PzP6-Sc3jB5iIpALzu_I69uEflzcKxPso0jYIg1MQOzkpyeHcliktR_XxMxCNyVN8U0sOqtnYnMKScOgi_tWJ9rLW47ee1x_iSQOMpEjTg&amp;_hsmi=67013363">announced</a> it is investigating the FAA’s oversight of FBOs to ascertain if they are conducting their businesses in accordance with or in violation of federal requirements. Airports that receive Airport Improvement Program funds must meet grant assurances, including that airports and businesses on them charge only “fair, reasonable, and nondiscriminatory fees and prices.”

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

Alphabet Groups Issue FBO Pricing Declaration

The document, signed by NBAA, GAMA, HAI, EAA, AOPA, and NATA, names pricing transparency as an FBO industry best practice.

2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

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.

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

Airport last owned the facility in the early 2000s

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

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