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

SkyMark Refuelers unveiled the largest aircraft refueler in the U.S. with an all-electric powertrain on Tuesday at NBAA-BACE 2025. Launched in combination with World Fuel Services and Clay Lacy Aviation, the 7,000-gallon-capacity tanker will be delivered to Clay Lacy’s flagship FBO at California’s Van Nuys Airport (KVNY) at the conclusion of the show and will be used to carry sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).
Doug Wilson, Clay Lacy’s chief business officer for FBOs, noted the irony of FBOs using a conventionally powered refueler with its exhaust emissions to haul and dispense SAF. He added that this was a factor in the company’s decision to acquire the fully electric vehicle.
“Since establishing our sustainability program in 2019, we have continually sought new ways to drive the industry forward and support our company’s environmental goals,” he said. “This impressively engineered refueler sets a new standard in all-electric ground service equipment and allows us to best serve our clients while being a good neighbor to the communities surrounding our airports.”
The vehicle is powered by a 240-kW battery, which SkyMark estimates will supply enough power for it to dispense two full truckloads of fuel and drive 20 miles before requiring an overnight charge. It carries SkyMark’s Gen 2 control system, which provides safety cutoffs and monitors conditions such as battery temperature.
If it detects any parameter approaching exceedance, it will generate a warning to the operator. If those parameters become dangerous, the control system will shut the vehicle down. Qualified under National Fire Protection Association 407—the standard for aircraft fuel serving—the refueler was designed with safety as its primary concern, according to the manufacturer.
“Working alongside World Fuel Services and Clay Lacy Aviation, we are excited to introduce this next-generation EV refueler to the market,” said SkyMark CEO Steven Paul. “This partnership represents a shared commitment to innovation, sustainability, and delivering safe, efficient fueling solutions for the aviation industry.”

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

SkyMark Unveils 7,000-gallon All-electric Refueler for Aircraft

Clay Lacy Aviation is the launch customer

The largest all-electric refueler in the U.S. was unveiled on Tuesday at NBAA.

SkyMark Unveils 7,000-gallon All-electric Refueler

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 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.

Customers have the option to pay to offset environmental impact of flights

Priester and 4Air Offers Clients Carbon Offset Measures 

Company now provides SAF to 58 locations in the U.S. and Europe

Avfuel Walks the Sustainability Walk at BACE

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.

Studies show an outsized impact from the exhaust cloud trails

Report Focuses on Aviation Contrail Climate Effects

The renewable fuel is crucial to bizav's sustainabilty asperations

Las Vegas Airports To Again Offer SAF for NBAA-BACE

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.

Azzera has integrated Celeste with the operator’s flight management system

Luxaviation Gets Emissions and SAF Support with Celeste

News about simulators and training procedures, as well as workforce.

NBAA-BACE 2025

In this article

Clay Lacy Aviation

More In Environment

Priester and 4Air Offers Clients Carbon Offset Measures

Customers have the option to pay to offset environmental impact of flights

Avfuel Walks the Sustainability Walk at BACE

Company now provides SAF to 58 locations in the U.S. and Europe

Report Focuses on Aviation Contrail Climate Effects

Studies show an outsized impact from the exhaust cloud trails

Las Vegas Airports To Again Offer SAF for NBAA-BACE

The renewable fuel is crucial to bizav's sustainabilty asperations

Luxaviation Gets Emissions and SAF Support with Celeste

Azzera has integrated Celeste with the operator’s flight management system

Gen Z, Millennials Join Forces To Decarbonize Aviation

The Emerging Leaders in Sustainable Aviation was launched at the ICAO General Assembly

IATA: Technology, Not Feedstock, Limiting SAF Goals

Study urges investments in technology and infrastructure

EU Awards €945 Million to 12 ‘Clean Aviation’ Projects

Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking funds further R&D for decarbonization efforts

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