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

By the time Hurricane Hilary rolled ashore in Southern California on Sunday, it had been downgraded to a tropical storm, but that didn’t prevent it from unleashing large amounts of rain, causing flooding. Many airports in the region saw delayed flights or other slowdowns.
Aside from minor leakage in buildings, Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) experienced some “power drops” throughout the day, all of which were resolved, according to a Los Angeles World Airports spokesperson. Dedicated business aviation hub Van Nuys Airport weathered the storm well, with some normal ponding in areas that typically get that condition with the usual rains of the year.
The normally arid Palm Springs area reportedly received more than half a year’s worth of normal precipitation in a period of 24 hours. As a result, the city suffered serious flooding with downed trees, roads washed away or&nbsp;flooded and more than 10,000 residents left without power, leading the city manager to declare a local state of emergency.&nbsp;However, the city’s two airports—Palm Springs International (KPSP) and Jacqueline Cochran Regional (KTRM)—reported no major damage and only operational delays.
Atlantic Aviation told AIN that while its facility at KTRM closed on Sunday “out of abundance of caution,” its FBO at KPSP remained open to support storm team responses for the Coachella Valley. The KTRM location reopened within a matter of hours.
Despite the numerous closed roads and highways in the area, Desert Jet, the other FBO at KTRM stated it received several private flights on Monday as homeowners returned to evaluate damage to their properties.
According to the National Weather Service, Sunday was the wettest on record in San Diego. Ray Richmond, president and general manager of Crownair Aviation, one of the FBOs at the city’s Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport (KMYF), told AIN they came through the storm unscathed. “We had quite a bit of rain and wind, but fortunately I don’t think it reached levels that were thought to be likely.”
Further south, at Cabo San Lucas at the tip of the Baja Peninsula, PrimeSky, the FBO at San Jose del Cabo Airport received no damage from the storm.

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

California FBOs Weather Tropical Storm Hilary

Though floods wreaked havoc on ground transportation, airports in the region remained operational

Area FBOs outlasted Tropical Storm Hilary which came ashore in California on Sunday bringing strong winds and months worth of rain in less than 24 hours.

2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

Hanneke Weitering

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.

Proposed vertiport locations include three Manhattan helipads and six airports

Archer and United Reveal New York City eVTOL Network

Charles Alcock

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

News and information about crew, passenger, aircraft and airport security issues.

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.

U.S.-based aviation services group is already present at 220 airports

Oxford Airport Outsources Handling, Security to Unifi

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.

$30 million facility will allow KBLV to receive more international flights

St. Louis-area Airport Building a Major CBP Facility

Kerry Lynch

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

ASCE aviation rating remained unchanged from its last report in 2021

Engineering Org Grades U.S. Aviation Infrastructure a D+

News and issues concerning the aviation charter and fractional-ownership industries and markets, including company announcements, regulations, new developments and labor issues.

Partners say they are working on projects in Oman and the UAE

Lyte, Bluenest, and LynePorts Form Team To Develop Middle East Vertiports

UAS participates in the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Reimbursable Services Program at 30 airports

UAS Adds Five Airports to Its U.S. Customs Program

Matt Thurber

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

More In Airports

Archer and United Reveal New York City eVTOL Network

Proposed vertiport locations include three Manhattan helipads and six airports

Oxford Airport Outsources Handling, Security to Unifi

U.S.-based aviation services group is already present at 220 airports

St. Louis-area Airport Building a Major CBP Facility

$30 million facility will allow KBLV to receive more international flights

Engineering Org Grades U.S. Aviation Infrastructure a D+

ASCE aviation rating remained unchanged from its last report in 2021

Lyte, Bluenest, and LynePorts Form Team To Develop Middle East Vertiports

Partners say they are working on projects in Oman and the UAE

UAS Adds Five Airports to Its U.S. Customs Program

UAS participates in the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Reimbursable Services Program at 30 airports

Garland/DFW Heliport Expands with New Landing Pad

More helicopter operations and growth in the area prompted the expansion

Ground Handlers Must Comply with New EASA Regulations

Handlers, aircraft operators, and airports have three years to comply with new rules in Europe

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