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

Five months after New York’s Westchester County first attempted to privatize its airport, a major business aviation hub serving the metro New York area, the county has issued a request for proposals (RFP) to manage the facility. The <a href="https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2016-11-14/major-nyc-bizav-hub-seek-privatization">initial plan</a>, floated in November, simply sought to award a 40-year lease of dual-use Westchester County Airport (HPN) to California-based investment firm Oaktree Capital Management. It met with a chilly reception from the county’s lawmakers, who decried the lack of transparency in the process and noted that there are several suitable companies that would be interested in the contract, including the incumbent AvPorts, which has managed HPN since 1977.


General aviation accounts for nearly 80 percent of traffic at the airport, yet the county did not request input or feedback on the earlier deal from stakeholders, according to private operators and businesses that serve the industryl.


In December, county legislators agreed to draft and issue the RFP. The due date for proposals is July 14, and according to the timeline issued by the county, it expects to make its selection by the end of August, with an eye toward completing the process by year-end. If the deal is approved, HPN would become the first commercially served airport in the U.S. (aside from Puerto Rico's Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan) to be privatized.

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

County Issues RFP for HPN Privatization

After an initial proposal offered to one firm without competition was defeated, bidding on the bizav hub is now open.

2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

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.

Dallas-area airport is responsible for hundreds of millions in economic impact

Texas Airport Provides Economic Boost to Local Community

Palm Beach closure will accommodate work being done in the runway's surrounding area

KPBI To Shut Down Runway for Three Months

Charles Alcock

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

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.

Dubai's Road and Transport Authority is involved in construction of four vertiports

Joby and Skyports Start Building First Dubai Vertiport for eVTOL Air Taxis

Matt Thurber

Ballot measure would have ceded decisions on runway expansion to residents

Aspen Residents Vote for County Control of Airport

News and issues concerning general aviation, specifically airplanes and helicopters powered by piston and alternative engines (i.e., non-turbine powered aircraft). Subjects include aircraft, engines, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security and training.

Aircraft owners will no longer have to fly to other airports to buy fuel

High-octane Unleaded Avgas is Now Available at Reid-Hillview Airport in California

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

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

Reid-Hillview Starts Pumping High-octane Unleaded Avgas 

Jessica Reed

Strategic co-branding agreement bolsters ground support network

Universal Aviation Enters Portugal and Cape Verde with Safeport Partnership

New developments and products in avionics, specifically about aircraft electronics in the cockpit.

More In Airports

Texas Airport Provides Economic Boost to Local Community

Dallas-area airport is responsible for hundreds of millions in economic impact

KPBI To Shut Down Runway for Three Months

Palm Beach closure will accommodate work being done in the runway's surrounding area

Joby and Skyports Start Building First Dubai Vertiport for eVTOL Air Taxis

Dubai's Road and Transport Authority is involved in construction of four vertiports

Aspen Residents Vote for County Control of Airport

Ballot measure would have ceded decisions on runway expansion to residents

High-octane Unleaded Avgas is Now Available at Reid-Hillview Airport in California

Aircraft owners will no longer have to fly to other airports to buy fuel

Reid-Hillview Starts Pumping High-octane Unleaded Avgas

Aircraft owners will no longer have to fly to other airports to buy fuel

Universal Aviation Enters Portugal and Cape Verde with Safeport Partnership

Strategic co-branding agreement bolsters ground support network

Universal's ClearVision Adapts to Airport Lighting Changes

The ClearVision EVS-5000 features multispectral camera technology

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