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

Sustainable fuel technology company Alder Renewables (formerly Alder Fuels) has established a dedicated lab facility in Boulder, Colorado, to accelerate the commercialization of its Alder Renewable Crude (ARC) and Alder Pyrolytic Sugars (APS) platform, which can be used to produce products such as sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) from biomass.
Alongside the company’s private and public technology partners, the lab provides increased operational capabilities, allowing it to launch newly funded projects and continue grant work from the Department of Energy’s bioenergy technologies office.&nbsp;The 4,200-sq-ft space now houses Alder’s lab test stand equipment, pre-pilot reactors, and the company’s fully integrated pilot plant.
This plant is zoned to produce small quantities of ARC and APS and, through hydrotreating, convert them into SAF and other renewable fuels.&nbsp;The new lab’s purpose will be to establish the end-to-end pilot capabilities to de-risk the scale-up of the proprietary process and optimize product quality and yields while streamlining operational and equipment costs.
“The technical team at Alder Renewables deserves a lot of credit,” said Tim Obitts, Alder’s CEO and former head of the National Air Transportation Association, adding that they have worked tirelessly to reach this phase in development. “As we continue progressing towards commercialization, I’m confident that this investment in our people and operations will deliver an immediate impact on our mission to decarbonize key sectors in our society.”

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

Alder Renewables Open Lab for Sustainable Aviation Fuel  Commercialization

Facility will work out any hurdles in the process ahead of full-scale production

Sustainable fuel tech company Alder Renewables set up a lab facility in Colorado to accelerate commercialization of its sustainable fuels production process.

Alder Renewables Opens SAF Lab in Colorado

2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

Charles Alcock

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.

News and developments about aircraft engines, including turbofan, turboprop, turboshaft and piston.

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.

Collins Aerospace and Pratt & Whitney are committed to new R&D efforts in the Netherlands

RTX Launches Sustainability Alliance With Dutch Aerospace Sector

Total funding for the third phase of work could top €950 million

EU's Clean Aviation Set to Invite Proposals for Decarbonization R&D Work

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.

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.

Naples Aviation is the first of many to begin offering SAF in the coming months

Florida FBO Becomes First on East Coast To Offer SAF

The large-scale plant is expected to come online in 2026

Pakistan's First SAF Plant Gets Funding Boost

The multi-billion-dollar facility is expected to be running by 2029

New Major SAF Plant Planned for Texas

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.

The move could bolster the Kingdom's circular economy and sustainability

TotalEnergies, Aramco Sign SAF Development Agreement

Kerry Lynch

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.

Environmental regulatory schemes are growing exponentially worldwide

4Air Compliance Services Expand with 21 More Enviro Regs

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

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