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

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.”

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