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

“I don’t think there has ever been in history this great and deep a level of interagency collaboration,” said James Spaeth, system development and integration program manager with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Bioenergy Technologies Office. Speaking during Thursday’s online 2021 Business Aviation Sustainability Summit Kick-Off, he described the response by his agency and the Departments of Agriculture and Transportation following the White House’s<a href="https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2021-09-10/white-house-rolls-out-initiatives-boost-saf"> Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) Grand Challenge</a> issued earlier this month. The three agencies issued a memo of understanding to work together to develop a roadmap for the expansion of SAF production to meet certain milestones on the path to aviation decarbonization.

 


Hosted by the SAF Coalition—an industry umbrella organization consisting of NBAA, NATA, EBAA, CBAA, IBAC, HAI, and CAAFI—the event brought together policymakers from the FAA, DOE, and DOT to describe their efforts in the SAF arena. SAF Coalition chairman and NATA president and CEO Tim Obitts&nbsp;reiterated the need to help aircraft operators understand that SAF is a drop-in replacement for conventional jet-A.

 


“The specification that sustainable aviation fuel is approved under effectively treats it as jet-A,” said Kevin Welsh, executive director of the FAA’s office of environment and energy, adding that the agency has been working with SAF since 2006 in coordination with ASTM for its certification. “Once you meet the D-7566 specification, that fuel is jet-A.” He explained that is important not only for its use in aircraft but in all of the infrastructure and safety requirements around it. That includes all airport storage, pipeline, and delivery systems that would otherwise require replacement or redundancy to handle any different-specification fuel.

 


Spaeth said that there are currently seven approved pathways for the production of SAF using a variety of feedstocks that do not compete with food or animal feed use and that&nbsp;focus&nbsp;instead on wastes and byproducts. For example, he said that while the majority of corn is grown for feed, SAF production will use the leftover stalks.

 


He expects that due to DoE grants and industry collaboration with the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL), there should be at least another four or five approved pathways for production by 2030, and he said his agency is working with producers to leverage existing infrastructure to reduce their capital expenditures. He also acknowledged the advances in other forms of power such as electricity, hydrogen, and fuel cells, which will eventually have their own roles to play.

 


Asked about the potential for 100 percent SAF usage, Spaeth explained that the agency is&nbsp;conducting research with its partners to develop replacement aromatics, which are found naturally in petroleum-based fuels and are required for engine seals and to ensure the integrity of the aircraft’s fuel storage systems.

 


One of the major hurdles regarding the adoption of SAF remains the cost at the pump.&nbsp;“We recognize that right now there is a gap between the price of conventional jet fuel and [SAF], the latter being much more expensive,” said Carol Petsonk, principal deputy assistant secretary for aviation and international affairs with the DoT. “There are a number of ways to bridge that gap, but one of them is to use the power of the tax code to incentivize the production and blending and use of [SAF].”

 


This so-called “blender’s tax credit” has been eagerly endorsed by the aviation industry, and is under consideration in Congress. “Our assessment is there is quite a bit of interest in the tax code being used in this way to encourage the achievement of better and more measurable results,” Petsonk said.

 


Welsh concluded by referring to the decarbonization goals that have been announced by the aviation sector. "You've got to be leaders and if you are going to actually follow through on those commitments then this is a great way to lead, to show the demand [for SAF] is there," he told the audience. "I know dollars matter, so that's the bottom line, but at the end of the day if your company is out there making ambitious commitments about how green you are, and if you are operating these aircraft, this is a really important way to demonstrate that."

 


NBAA president and CEO Ed Bolen noted that sustainability discussions will be front and center next month at the organization’s annual convention and exhibition in Las Vegas, while Obitts added that SAF will be available at Las Vegas Harry Reid International and Henderson Executive airports to fuel aircraft arriving for the show.

News about environmental issues relating to aircraft operations, including noise issues, emissisions, and regulations. See Fuel for biofuel.

Agencies Enthusiastic about SAF Challenge 

Thursday’s online 2021 Business Aviation Sustainability Summit Kick-Off brought together U.S. government experts to discuss SAF production efforts.

2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

Charles Alcock

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 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.

Manufacturer says solar power is part of efforts to reduce environmental footprint 

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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.

News about commercial airlines, including regulations, aircraft orders, safety, acquisitions, and mergers.

Green Flyways initiative is considering the potential for MD Aircraft's eViator commuter

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Charlotte Bailey

News, issues, personnel, equipment and developments about air traffic management.

News and issues relating to the aerospace industry that are related to the science, engineering and business of flight in space involving civil, industrial and military applications, and similar topics related to flight in the atmosphere of the Earth that are not covered more directly by other AINonline subject channels. In other words, both astronautical and aeronautical subjects, except for those aeronautical topics that are specifically covered elsewhere on this website.

UK’s ‘Operation Blue Skies’ to redirect commercial traffic in Shanwick airspace

North Atlantic Airspace-Scale Contrail Trial Underway

Emissions reduction indexes will help contrast economics with compliance mandates

Argus Releases Sustainable Aviation Fuel Evaluation Tool

Government-funded consortium to aims to connect remote communities 

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News and developments about aviation fuel, including jet fuel, aviation gasoline, and biofuel.

News about bills, laws, regulations and other governmental decisions affecting aviation and aerospace. Topics include FAA re-authorizations, taxes on fuel and aviation activities, environmental legislation, ICAO decisions, governmental mediation of labor conflicts and World Trade Organization disputes and decisions.

News and issues relating to international air transport and cargo carriers, national airlines and regional airlines, including aircraft, engines, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security and training.

Shift could come as the state's tax incentives change

Louisiana Could Supplant California as SAF Leader

New three-year campaign will design, build, and fly wing extension devices

WoT? Experimental Elongated Airbus Wings To Fly Next Year

Cristofer Slotoroff

News and issues concerning general aviation, specifically airplanes and helicopters powered by piston and alternative engines (i.e., non-turbine powered aircraft). Subjects include aircraft, engines, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security and training.

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