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

With the window for industry comments on the revisions to the National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA) 409 Standard on Aircraft Hangars&nbsp;due to close today, the National Air Transportation Association (NATA) has submitted its proposed changes to the organization.

 


NATA has been vocal in its opposition to the mandatory requirement for foam fire suppression systems, establishing an <a href="https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/nofoam">online petition</a> and commissioning a <a href="https://www.nata.aero/assets/Site_18/files/NFPA%20409/UMD%20Report%2011-12.pdf">research study</a> from the University of Maryland’s department of fire protection engineering.

 


"The recent report from the University of Maryland confirms what our industry has known for years:&nbsp;that foam fire suppression systems are not necessary for most hangars,[are]&nbsp;incredibly burdensome, and end up being a costly solution in search of a problem,” said Tim Obitts, NATA’s COO. “The data shows that the risk of a fuel fire in a business aviation hangar is virtually nonexistent, while the risk of a foam system inadvertently discharging and damaging aircraft and the environment is incredibly high, amounting to 137 false discharges since 2004.”

 


In its comments, NATA suggests several changes such as the creation of a new category of hangar for hazardous operations, including doping, hot work, in-hangar fuel transfers, and spray finishing, which would require foam systems.

 


The NFPA 409 Technical Committee on Airport Facilities will meet early next year to review the comments. The next revision to the standard is slated for publication in 2021.

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