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

California-based aviation services provider Clay Lacy Aviation has broken ground on a new $20 million FBO and MRO facility at Connecticut’s Waterbury-Oxford Airport (KOXC). The company, which has had a maintenance and charter presence at the airport since 2015, initially <a href="https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2020-11-02/clay-lacy-open-east-coast-fbo">received approval</a> for the new facility in 2020.

 


Phase 1 of the 11-acre expansion is expected to be completed by first-quarter 2024 and will include a 5,000-sq-ft terminal with covered vehicle parking&nbsp;and a 40,000-sq-ft heated hangar that will accommodate ultra-long-range business jets. The company explained that the facility will result in 200 new high-paying jobs with an annual payroll exceeding $32 million and more than 400 indirect jobs during the construction process.

 


“We’re breaking ground on what will be one of the finest FBOs and aviation facilities in the country,” said company president and CEO Brian Kirkdoffer. He noted that the location will serve as Clay Lacy’s East Coast headquarters. “Oxford will be an incredible economic and employment engine, attracting and supporting the finest aircraft and flight operations in the world.”

 


A second development phase anticipated for completion by mid-2025 will add a pair of 40,000-sq-ft hangars and 10,000 sq ft of office space. Further increasing the airport's utility, U.S. Customs service was <a href="https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2022-08-08/connecticut-airport-introduces-customs-service">just introduced</a> at KOXC.

 


For Clay Lacy, this will be its third FBO, joining its flagship facility at Van Nuys Airport and at John Wayne&nbsp;Orange County Airport. The company also operates FAA Part 145 repair stations at Van Nuys and San Diego, in addition to KOXC.

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

Clay Lacy Aviation Launches East Coast Expansion Project

California-based Clay Lacy Aviation has broken ground on a new $20 million FBO/MRO project at Connecticut's Waterbury-Oxford Airport.

2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

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

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.

Airport last owned the facility in the early 2000s

Illinois Airport Reacquires Sole Service Provider

The complex is viewed as the cornerstone of an aviation conglomerate

Major Las Vegas Hangar Complex Changes Hands

Projects totaled more than $5 million in infrastructure development

Oklahoma Airport Gets More Hangars, Upgraded Ramp

The facility will lean heavily towards sustainability

Clay Lacy Aviation Starts Construction on New KSNA FBO

News and issues regarding all manner of civil and military rotorcraft and their powerplants, including helicopters, tilt rotors and unmanned air vehicles.

In this article

Clay Lacy Aviation

More In FBOs

Illinois Airport Reacquires Sole Service Provider

Airport last owned the facility in the early 2000s

Major Las Vegas Hangar Complex Changes Hands

The complex is viewed as the cornerstone of an aviation conglomerate

Oklahoma Airport Gets More Hangars, Upgraded Ramp

Projects totaled more than $5 million in infrastructure development

Clay Lacy Aviation Starts Construction on New KSNA FBO

The facility will lean heavily towards sustainability

NATA Panel Examines FBO Preparation for eVTOL Service

OEMs and FBOs talk about how electric aircraft can be accommodated at FBOs

NATA Conference Panel Examines FBO Consolidation

While the big chains take a more selective approach, others remain hungry

Atlantic Aviation Gets Lease Renewal Approval in Aspen

The decision is the latest in a nearly two-year saga at the airport

Clay Lacy Aviation Gets Nod for Sun Valley FBO

Construction is expected to begin next year

AIN Products

SUBSCRIPTIONS

RESOURCES

ABOUT AIN