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

Atlantic Aviation has had a presence at Nashville International Airport (KBNA) since 2007, when it acquired the location as part of the blockbuster 24-FBO purchase of Mercury Air Centers. Earlier this year, it relocated from the 1970s vintage 8,600-sq-ft terminal to a brand-new 12,000-sq-ft terminal, part of a major reconstruction of the chain’s complex.
For general manager Aaron Wood, the old facility had outlived its usefulness. “For the activity that we were seeing at the location, the facilities weren’t big enough,” he told AIN. “It was great for its time, but it was time to make the move.”
To make room for the construction of the new terminal, an old 26,000-sq-ft hangar with a low door height was demolished next door to the existing terminal. This past May, the facility was completed.
“We were conducting business in the old one, and at 7 o’clock the next morning, we flipped the switch and were operating out of the new one,” said Wood. “We ended up leveling the old terminal within weeks after moving into the new terminal.” That lot was paved over to extend the FBO’s ramp to 12 acres and improve the ramp flow, according to Wood. “The efficiency for our customers and parking on the ramp has just been so much better from a service perspective as well as a safety one.”
The single-level terminal features an airy lobby with a soaring 30-foot-high ceiling and a fireplace, a business center, dishwashing service in the galley, refreshment bar, onsite car rental, pilot lounge with bathroom and shower facilities, and two snooze rooms (or “studios,” as they are locally referred to in Music City). It has a pair of conference rooms, seating 10 and 12 respectively, each equipped with wet bars and built-in refrigerators. At the landside entrance is a large porte cochère to protect arriving customers from the elements.
A unique feature is the facility’s large VIP suite, which features direct ramp access, a wet bar, and ensuite bathrooms and showers. “When we have opportunities to elevate our service for certain groups that would maybe prefer to have a little more private environment, we utilize that space,” said Wood, adding that the suite is seeing more and more use as time goes on. “We’re doing things in that space right now that people probably never envisioned to be done in an FBO in an airport.” Among the more unusual activities that have taken place there: bridal party fittings. “Nashville is the bachelorette party capital of the world, apparently,” said Wood, “so there’s a lot of women who show up to do things like trying on wedding dresses.”
To replace the hangar that was displaced by the new terminal, Atlantic built the 30,000-sq-ft Hangar 19, which can shelter the latest planned ultra-long-range business jets. The hangar was also designed to function as a dedicated charter terminal with its ramp rated to handle aircraft up to a Boeing 757.
It has a 1,500-sq-ft lobby that can accommodate large charter groups such as collegiate and professional sports teams or touring entertainers. Using Hangar 19, they don’t need to visit the terminal and can load directly into buses to depart the FBO.
The complex, with 76,500 sq ft of heated hangar space, is home to 15 turbine-powered business aircraft ranging from a Gulfstream G550 to a Beechcraft King Air C-90. U.S. Customs clearance is available with advance notice on the Atlantic ramp, and the facility can handle international trash disposal.
Another part of the project was the construction of a new fuel farm holding 60,000 gallons of jet-A and 10,000 gallons of avgas. It is served by the facility’s trio of 5,000-gallon jet fuel tankers and a 750-gallon 100LL truck that transmit fuel tickets directly to the CSR desk.
The facility is open 24/7 and has a staff of 30 who have undergone Atlantic’s in-house training.
“The level of service the staff provided has always been amazing and it’s nice to bring to the market a facility that matches that level,” said Wood. “That’s been something we were able to enhance in this market and bring to our customers.”
As an example, he noted a recent instance where a passenger landed after a late-night flight. Once they met their ground transportation, they decided to use the terminal restroom and, unaware, left a backpack filled with important documents behind in the lobby.
A CSR later noticed it and found identification within. She began contacting the recently arrived flight crew members to find out who flew the passenger in and what hotel they were using. Armed with that information, she then drove the backpack there and hand-delivered it to the hotel concierge, where it was reunited with the grateful passenger the following morning.

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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.

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