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

UK-based Signature Aviation—the parent company of Signature Flight Support, which operates the world’s largest FBO network—could soon be sold to private-equity firm Blackstone Infrastructure Advisors and Blackstone Core Equity Management Associates for approximately $4 billion, according to a statement released today by Signature. Blackstone has more than $580 billion in assets under management.
This latest overture, the sixth from Blackstone to Signature since February, equates to a possible cash offer of $5.17 per share. According to a note issued today to its investors in response to recent share increases as word of the offer leaked, Signature stated, “Having considered the terms of the Blackstone proposal, the board of Signature has indicated to Blackstone that it would currently be minded to recommend a firm offer for Signature at the price set out in the Blackstone proposal.”
Signature achieved preeminence in the FBO industry following its 2015 <a href="https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2015-09-23/signature-acquire-rival-landmark-blockbuster-deal">acquisition of then-rival Landmark Aviation</a> from investment fund manager The Carlyle Group, and its network currently consists of more than 200 locations in 27 countries.
If completed, the deal could be a “game-changer”, according to FBO business consultant Steve Dennis, chairman of Aviation Resource Group International. “Since its inception following WWII, fixed-base operations, large and small, have been challenged to attract capital,” he told AIN.&nbsp;“This scale of investment by private equity will further validate and enhance the value of the FBO industry.”
“Just as the acquisition of Flight Safety by Berkshire-Hathaway in 1996 brought business and executive flight training into the 'investment-grade,' marketplace, so too would the acquisition of Signature by Blackstone do for the FBO industry,” Dennis said.

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

Signature Mulls $4B Acquisition by Private-equity Group Blackstone

Signature Aviation, the parent company of Signature Flight Support, has received purchase offers of late, with the latest worth an approximate $4 billion

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.

Ambassador Jet Center gave its lobby a glow up

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

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