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

Bombardier manufactures a variety of business aircraft models, provides engineering, and aircraft maintenance services.

Curt Epstein

Classic Lear Jet Foundation—the nonprofit Wichita-based group that seeks to return the first production Learjet (S/N 23-003) to <a href="https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2023-09-05/bringing-lear-003-back-flight">flight</a>—reached a milestone in its progress with the removal of the twinjet’s interior. The group intends to restore the aircraft to its original appearance when it was delivered in 1964, and noted that the removed seats, sidewalls, carpet, cabinets, and partitions will be retained and used as patterns for the aviation companies that have volunteered to build and donate a period-accurate cabin for the project.
“This is a big step in the preparation of the aircraft for the non-destructive testing required to get the aircraft airworthy again,” Bill Kinkaid, the foundation’s president, told AIN.
Included among the recently accomplished work, which is being performed largely by local industry volunteers and retirees, some of whom worked on the Lear Jet production lines, was the removal of the wing flaps, spoilers, and ailerons. One of the latter revealed a large, fortunately unoccupied, wasp’s nest—a souvenir of the aircraft’s quarter-century in storage.
Currently ongoing is the removal of the cockpit instrumentation, with each unit being documented and carefully bubble-wrapped for storage until eventually required for refurbishment and/or recalibration before reinstallation.

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.

Group Restoring First-delivered Learjet 23 Notes Progress

The removal of the cabin interior paves the way for further airframe testing

Classic Lear Jet Foundation—the nonprofit Wichita-based group looking to return the first production Learjet to flight—reached a milestone in its progress.

Group Restoring First-delivered Learjet 23 Sees Progress

2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

Jennifer Leach English

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.

Company noncommittal on expanding its lineup upwards, citing $1B investment cost

Embraer’s Plans for a Larger Bizjet Remain Up in the Air

Kerry Lynch

Operations ebbed, backlogs were steady, and available aircraft increased

GJC: Bizjet Market Continues To Stabilize in 3Q2024

Hanneke Weitering

Greenville-based charter operator pre-orders 10 eVTOL air taxis

SAI Flight To Operate SkyDrive eVTOL in South Carolina

Charles Alcock

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

In this article

Learjet 20 Series

Bombardier

More In Aircraft

Embraer’s Plans for a Larger Bizjet Remain Up in the Air

Company noncommittal on expanding its lineup upwards, citing $1B investment cost

GJC: Bizjet Market Continues To Stabilize in 3Q2024

Operations ebbed, backlogs were steady, and available aircraft increased

SAI Flight To Operate SkyDrive eVTOL in South Carolina

Greenville-based charter operator pre-orders 10 eVTOL air taxis

AMSL Starts Untethered Flight Tests with Vertiia eVTOL Aircraft

Australian start-up is developing a hydrogen-powered aircraft

Deliveries Increase as EHang Works to Boost eVTOL Aircraft Performance

Chinese manufacturing wants to extend range with solid-state batteries

NBAA Expands Roles for Two Senior Executives

Jo Damato and Andrew Broom assume additional responsibilities

Transport Canada Certifies Cirrus SR G7 and Vision G2+

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

Electra Launches Hybrid-electric EL9 STOL Aircraft

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

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