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

Pilatus Aircraft and European sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) technology developer <a href="https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/aerospace/2024-06-20/dawn-rises-worlds-first-solar-powered-fuel-refinery">Synhelion</a> have launched a strategic partnership, with the Swiss airframer becoming a shareholder, reinforcing its commitment to the reduction of fossil-based fuels.
Synhelion—which has pioneered a process to use solar power to produce SAF—plans to begin construction next year in Spain on its first commercial-scale plant. Pilatus expects to use this “solar fuel” in its own fleet of PC-24 light jets and PC-12 turboprop singles before offering the fuel to its customers.
“We are convinced of the value of solar fuel technology. These fuels are the best way to defossilize air travel as quickly as possible,” said Pilatus CEO Markus Bucher. “We’re delighted to play a pioneering role together with Synhelion, and make an important contribution to sustainability in the aviation sector.”
Philipp Furler, Synhelion’s co-CEO and co-founder, added, “Over the next few years, we will focus fully on scaling our fuels worldwide. Together, we aim to roll out sustainable solar fuels to the entire Pilatus customer fleet within the next 10 years.”

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

Pilatus Aircraft Invests in Solar SAF Producer Synhelion

Synhelion has just started construction on the world's first industrial SAF plant in Germany

Pilatus Aircraft has invested in a sustainable aviation fuel technology pioneer looking to harness solar energy to power its production process.

Pilatus Joins Up with SAF Production Pioneer

2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

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

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.

The online feature helps streamline the SAF usage process

World Fuel Rolls Out SAF Book-and-claim Tool

Charles Alcock

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

Europe-based group says new feature is first of its kind in business aviation 

Luxaviation Adds Real-time Carbon Calculator to App

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

California FBO received the new truck last week

Avfuel Delivers First Fully Electric Jet Refueler

Kerry Lynch

AvfuelZero Portal houses all necessary documentation for SAF and carbon emissions reporting

Avfuel Launches Portal To Streamline SAF Documentation

News and developments about aircraft engines, including turbofan, turboprop, turboshaft and piston.

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 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.

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.

Airbus and 10 European partners have launched the PACIFIC program 

Study Targets Clarity for Mitigating Contrail Impact

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

In this article

Pilatus Aircraft

More In Environment

World Fuel Rolls Out SAF Book-and-claim Tool

The online feature helps streamline the SAF usage process

Luxaviation Adds Real-time Carbon Calculator to App

Europe-based group says new feature is first of its kind in business aviation

Avfuel Delivers First Fully Electric Jet Refueler

California FBO received the new truck last week

Avfuel Launches Portal To Streamline SAF Documentation

AvfuelZero Portal houses all necessary documentation for SAF and carbon emissions reporting

Study Targets Clarity for Mitigating Contrail Impact

Airbus and 10 European partners have launched the PACIFIC program

Airbus Doubles Down on Aviation Decarbonization Commitment

Aerospace and defense group partners with Solar Impulse Foundation

Signature Aviation To Add More European SAF Locations

FBO chain bringing sustainable aviation fuel to six of its FBOs in the UK and France

Banyan Air Service Is Latest To Stock Permanent SAF Supplies

The service provider is among the first in South Florida to do so

AIN Products

SUBSCRIPTIONS

RESOURCES

ABOUT AIN