Curt Epstein
Senior Editor
A lifelong aviation enthusiast who joined AIN in 2007, Curt came to the publication 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 AIN sister publication 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 Aviation Journalist Award in 2012 and won a Pegasus Sapphire Business Aviation Award for outstanding journalism in 2021.
Before joining AIN, Curt worked with 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.
Latest from Curt Epstein
Environment
Air Elite Member FBOs Become Carbon Neutral
World Fuel Services announced this week that 43 members of its sponsored Air Elite FBO Network achieved carbon neutrality in their operations for 2019.
Airports
New Hotel To Land at London Biggin Hill Airport
London’s Biggin Hill Airport broke ground today on The Landing, an on-site luxury boutique hotel slated to open in 2022.
Environment
Another UK FBO To Offer Sustainable Aviation Fuel
Centreline Aviation at the UK’s Bristol Airport has inked a deal with Air BP to become the country’s first independent, non-network retailer of SAF.
Airports
Florida Airport First To Install LED Rotating Beacon
Florida’s Boca Raton Airport (BCT) is the first in the country to install a Hali-Brite LED rotating beacon, the first of its kind to receive FAA Approval.
Safety
Bombardier’s Demo Team Earns IS-BAO 3 Renewal
Bombardier’s aircraft operations demonstration team has renewed its Stage 3 registration under IBAC’s IS-BAO program.
Bizav Continues Global Recovery, Says WingX
With the one-year anniversary of the declaration of Covid as a pandemic this week, global business aviation activity is down just 2 percent year-over-year.
Environment
New Carbon Fiber Recycling Path Identified
Researchers at the University of Sydney have developed a new method that they say will allow the reclamation of unrecyclable carbon fiber parts.
FBOs
Fort Lauderdale FBO Breaks Ground on New Home
Jetscape, one of four service providers at Florida’s Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport, broke ground this week on a major new FBO complex.
Cabin Interior and Electronics
SD Starts In-flight Testing of New Ku-band Satcom Antenna
Satcom Direct has begun inflight testing of its Plane Simple tail-mounted Ku-band antenna system, one year after the launch of the purpose-built unit.
FBOs
Titan Aviation Fuels Breaks Out of Its Shell
Titan Aviation Fuels will officially rebrand its 550-member Shell FBO network to its own independent, full-service Titan Fuel brand.
Charter & Fractional
Jet Linx Opens New Private Terminal in San Antonio
The new facility replaces the company's facility which has been in operation at SAT since 2011.
FBOs
Sun Air Jets To Boost VNY Presence
Aircraft management provider Sun Air Jets will more than double its existing space at the L.A. gateway with the lease of a new 62,000 sq ft hangar complex.
Environment
North Carolina FBO Is Latest To Offer SAF
Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) makes another rare appearance in the Eastern U.S.
FBOs
San Francisco-area FBO Adding More Hangar Space
Five Rivers Aviation, the sole FBO at San Francisco-area Livermore Municipal Airport, has broken ground on a 43,000 sq ft hangar facility.
Environment
UK Firm Seeks To Turn Waste Plastic into Jet-A
Clean Planet Energy launched a new sustainable aviation fuel produced from non-recyclable plastics.
FBOs
FBOs Felt the Covid Bite in 2020, Says ABSG Survey
According to the Aviation Business Strategies Group, nearly 70 percent of the North American FBOs it surveyed reported decreased fuel sales last year.
Airports
Indiana Genav Airport Looks To Add Another Runway
Facing a need to develop a master plan to guide its development, Indiana’s Jasper County Airport Authority has hired a strategic consulting firm.
Charter & Fractional
Part 135 Operator All In Jets Up for Auction
Aircraft charter operator All In Jets, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last August will be hitting the auction block.
Airports
LAS Renamed Harry Reid International Airport
Las Vegas McCarran International Airport will be renamed following a unianimous vote by the Clark County Commission.
FBOs
NATA Fights Fuel Farm Modifications
The public comment window on the National Fire Protection Association’s changes to NFPA 407 Standard for Aircraft Fuel Servicing is now open.
Aircraft Repo Not as Glamourous as Depicted on TV
Despite how it is portrayed on television, the aircraft repossession business is not as wild or adventurous as shown.
Training and Workforce
FSANA Reschedules March Flight Training Conference
The Flight School Association of North America (FSANA) has rescheduled its upcoming annual International Flight School Conference to this summer.
Nat Geo Special Examines New Air Force One
National Geographic has produced a film detailing the transformation of a pair of Boeing 747-8s into the next Air Force Ones.
Environment
California FBO Sun Air Jets Starts Permanent SAF Supply
Sun Air Jets in Southern California has joined the handful of FBOs committed to offering a permanent supply of sustainable aviation fuel.
Bizav Traffic Fumbles for Big Game in Tampa
Last weekend’s Super Bowl proved to be less of a magnet for business aviation than it had been in past years.
Airports
California Airports Continue Solar Energy Trend
With sustainability becoming a major focus in business aviation, more hangar keepers are turning to solar energy to power their operations.
Regulations and Government
Universal Rolls Out International Covid Test Directory
Universal Weather and Aviation has established a network of Covid-19 testing providers across the top 200 international airports that its customers use.
FutureFlight
After Testbed Success, Ampaire Lays Out Plans For Two New Electric Aircraft
Technology validation work on the Electric EEL hybrid-electric rework of the Cessna 227, have paved the way for new models called the Eco Otter SX and the Tailwind.
FutureFlight
Infrastructure Needs For eSTOL and eVTOL Aircraft May Be Closer Than Imagined
eSTOL aircraft developer Airflow maintains that the performance of its blown wing design could match or exceed that of eVTOLs in terms of real estate needs on the ground.
FBOs
Rival Bidders Join in $4.7B Bid for Signature Aviation
The bidding war over Signature Aviation continues to unfold with the latest offer of $4.7 billion coming from a partnership of rival bidders.
