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

Fractional aircraft provider PlaneSense is celebrating its 30th anniversary.&nbsp;The New Hampshire-based company is the largest operator of Pilatus Aircraft in the U.S., having accepted the 20th PC-12 built by the Swiss airframer in 1995. Since then, it has taken delivery of 93 of the turboprop singles, including the 2,000th&nbsp;PC-12 off the assembly line in 2023, and has 45 in operation.
To offer customers a larger cabin and increased range, PlaneSense launched a jet program a decade ago&nbsp;and took delivery of the very first PC-24 light jet in 2018. Today, its fleet includes 17 of the Swiss-built twinjets.
The operator has continued to expand, including an exclusive partnership with Jetfly that allows customers to use their flight hours on Jetfly’s Pilatus fleet in Europe and North Africa. It also recently unveiled the PlaneSense Sourcing Solution, expanding customer access beyond the fleet in the U.S. and the rest of the world, and the CobaltPass jet card, which complements the existing program with flexibility, highly competitive pricing, and no blackout dates across various aircraft types.
Over the past 30 years, the company has tallied a 91% client retention rate, with some families now in their third generation of PlaneSense fractional ownership.
“When we launched PlaneSense three decades ago, our vision was to offer a more intelligent and highly personal approach to private flying,” said company founder, president, and CEO George Antoniadis. “We believed clients deserved a sophisticated aircraft but also a trusted partner dedicated to fulfilling their flight needs with a cost-effective, safe, and service-focused solution. Thirty years later, that philosophy still drives every decision we make.”

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

PlaneSense Celebrates Three Decade Anniversary

The fractional provider is the largest Pilatus operator in the U.S.

PlaneSense, which operates the largest Pilatus aircraft fleet in the U.S. reaches the three-decade mark.

PlaneSense Celebrates Pearl Anniversary

2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

Charles Alcock

Issues regarding financing of aircraft; aviation insurance; tax issues for aircraft operators; new companies and people in the aviation financing and insurance industries.

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 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.

Industry leaders at Air Charter Expo warn about "race to the bottom"

Broker Proliferation Poses Challenges for Charter Sector 

Charlotte Bailey

New Perth office is its first facility in Western Australia

Air Charter Service Opens Third Australian Location

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.

In this article

Pilatus PC-24

Planesense Inc.

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