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

Embraer has delivered its first EASA-registered Legacy 450 to Luxembourg-based Smart Air SA, which will manage the aircraft on behalf of a customer. The twinjet, operated by ASL, will be based in Brussels and available for charter starting in January. “We are pleased to welcome Smart Air SA as the first European company to manage a Legacy 450,” said Embraer president and CEO Marco Tulio Pellegrini. The clean-sheet design received its EASA certification this summer. The aircraft is the first in its class to feature digital flight controls and full fly-by-wire capability, with a maximum cruise speed of&nbsp; Mach 0.83 and a ceiling of 45,000 feet. At NBAA’s annual convention last month in Las Vegas, the manufacturer announced that the airplane has a range of 2,900 nm; the initial projection was 2,575 nm.

 


“We recommended the Legacy 450 to a customer of ours long before all the positive reports from pilots and journalists,” noted Smart Air founder and CEO Stéphane Ledermann. “We are convinced that this aircraft will be very successful, and we can’t wait to fly it soon.”

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.

Embraer Hands Over First European Legacy 450

The new twinjet will arrive in Brussels in January, ready for charter service.

2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

Jessica Reed

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.

Jo Damato and Andrew Broom assume additional responsibilities

NBAA Expands Roles for Two Senior Executives

Matt Thurber

Similarities between the piston- and jet-powered Cirruses make transition training easier

Transport Canada Certifies Cirrus SR G7 and Vision G2+

Kerry Lynch

Aircraft will be able to take off in 150 feet of runway

Electra Launches Hybrid-electric EL9 STOL Aircraft

Hanneke Weitering

First production-representative Alia CX300 takes flight

Beta Flies First Electric Airplane Produced in Vermont Factory

G700 next headed to the Bahrain International Airshow for display alongside the G500

Gulfstream’s G700 Surpasses 65 City-pair Records

Honda's secretive eVTOL program picks up steam

FAA Greenlights Honda eVTOL Flight Tests

Some models are seeing high demand, others not so much

Broker: Preowned Cessna Citation Market Remains Mixed

Charles Alcock

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

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

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