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.

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West Star Aviation specializes in airframe repair and maintenance, engine repair and maintenance, major modifications, avionics installation and repair, interior refurbishment, paint, parts, surplus avionics sales, window repair and accessory services.

West Star Aviation has graduated its second cohort of aviation maintenance students from its West Star Aviation Academy (WSAA).
<a href="https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2023-10-24/west-star-open-maintenance-training-academy">Launched</a> in collaboration with Southwestern Illinois College in 2023, the program provides apprentice aviation technicians with seven and a half months of classroom instruction and hands-on training, which will allow them to transition faster into qualified roles without the costs typically associated with traditional industry education models.
The 22 aspiring aircraft maintenance technicians in this latest group included three who completed not only all of their written exams but also their oral and practical testing, thus earning their FAA licenses ahead of their graduation. “This accomplishment speaks volumes about their dedication, discipline, and drive,” said Brian Bauwens, the v-p and general manager of West Star’s East Alton, Illinois facility. “They’ve set a new benchmark for future classes to follow.”
After completing four weeks of specific job training, the graduates will begin working at West Star on various aircraft programs.
“When we recognized the workforce shortage in aviation, we knew we needed a plan to tackle it,” said Bauwens, adding that the apprentices emerge from the program energized, enthusiastic, and fully prepared to contribute. “Initiatives like WSAA allow us to do more than just fill technician vacancies; we’re nurturing talent that will drive the industry forward.”

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