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

Illinois’ Mount Vernon Outland Airport (KMVN) Authority will return to the FBO business for the first time in nearly 20 years after its purchase of SRT Aviation, the lone service provider on the field. Starting December 1, the facility will be renamed SRT Flightline in honor of the last time the airport operated the FBO. Shawn Sayle—the “S” in SRT—will stay on to manage the location’s Part 145 repair facility.
“After 18 and a half years amazing years as owner/operator of SRT Aviation, it is a privilege to be offered a plan to maintain the legacy as the longest FBO in the history of this amazing airport,” said Sayle. “We have been strengthened by a team that we have grown to love and respect, and [that] shares our same values of safety, professionalism, and quality.”
The airport authority and the FBO have shared aircraft fueling responsibilities on the field since 2008, with the FBO handling the physical operations. “It’s all about retention and control,” said KMVN director Chris Collins. “The airport operator controls the pricing, pricing drives aircraft operations, and aircraft operations dictate FAA grant funding.”
The Titan Fuels-branded, CAA preferred FBO offers 32,000 sq ft of heated hangar space that can accommodate aircraft up to a Bombardier Global Express and 10 acres of ramp. It also has a recently renovated 4,100-sq-ft terminal available 24/7 with passenger and pilot lounges, eight-seat conference room, and refreshment bar.
Located in the southern part of the state, KMVN features a 6,500-foot main runway.

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