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.

Business Aviation Services Editor

Curt Epstein

Texas-based flight training provider Thrust Flight has expanded its instructional offerings with the launch of a new aircraft and powerplant (A&amp;P) mechanic school in Conroe, Texas, along with an aircraft dispatcher program at its locations in Addison and Denison.&nbsp;Thrust’s 12-month FAA Part 147 maintenance training program welcomed its first class of A&amp;P students last week at its Conroe-North Houston Regional Airport (KCXO) facility.
Unlike traditional programs that can take as long as 28 months, Thrust’s accelerated model shortens the span to one year through hands-on experience with real aircraft components, one-on-one instruction, and small student groups.
In May, Thrust received FAA approval for its Part 65 aircraft dispatcher certification program, a five-week course that trains students in one of the most crucial and overlooked roles in aviation. It provides instruction on coordinating flight plans, monitoring weather, and ensuring flight crews receive everything they need to conduct safe, compliant operations. An internal Beta class was held this month, with a course scheduled to live in January.
“Aviation doesn’t just rely on pilots; it’s powered by a team of skilled professionals on the ground and behind the scenes,” said company founder and CEO Patrick Arnzen. “Our mission is to open doors across the entire aviation workforce, from the cockpit to the control room to the hangar.”

News about simulators and training procedures, as well as workforce.

Thrust Flight adds A&P, Dispatcher Training

The company previously offered only flight training

Thrust Flight has expanded its course offerings to include more than just flight instruction.

2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

Charles Alcock

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

News and information on safety procedures and concerns.

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.

Austrian manufacturer has yet to say which rotorcraft types it will support 

Axis Announces Plans for Helicopter Training Systems

AIN Staff

In a Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit (CALS) roundtable on retention, an aviation staffing expert and flight department leaders traded hard-won lessons on money, culture, and knowing who you’re really competing with.

The Retention Stool Has Four Legs: What Flight Departments Get Wrong about Keeping Talent

Across three separate CALS sessions, flight department leaders worked through the same hard questions about earning trust, leading individuals, and holding the line.

Leadership from the Cockpit to the Department: What Three Days of Roundtables Revealed

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.

News and issues relating to the aerospace industry that are related to the science, engineering and business of flight in space involving civil, industrial and military applications, and similar topics related to flight in the atmosphere of the Earth that are not covered more directly by other AINonline subject channels. In other words, both astronautical and aeronautical subjects, except for those aeronautical topics that are specifically covered elsewhere on this website.

The lack of 3D data is holding back some aspects of manufacturing 

Tapping Data to Safely Drive Up Aerospace Productivity

Matt Thurber

Draper to stay until the end of the year to smooth the transition

Rohloff New Textron Aviation CEO as Ron Draper Retires

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

More In Training and Workforce

Axis Announces Plans for Helicopter Training Systems

Austrian manufacturer has yet to say which rotorcraft types it will support

The Retention Stool Has Four Legs: What Flight Departments Get Wrong about Keeping Talent

In a Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit (CALS) roundtable on retention, an aviation staffing expert and flight department leaders traded hard-won lessons on money, culture, and knowing who you’re really competing with.

Leadership from the Cockpit to the Department: What Three Days of Roundtables Revealed

Across three separate CALS sessions, flight department leaders worked through the same hard questions about earning trust, leading individuals, and holding the line.

Tapping Data to Safely Drive Up Aerospace Productivity

The lack of 3D data is holding back some aspects of manufacturing

Rohloff New Textron Aviation CEO as Ron Draper Retires

Draper to stay until the end of the year to smooth the transition

Air Charter Association Expands NextGen Group

Saxon Air executive Rachel Harvey chairs the group for young charter professionals

AINsight: Your Team Is Always Recruiting

Building recruiting reputations for your company long before a job is posted

Kawasaki To Deploy 1st Asia-Pac Loft H145 VR Simulator

Virtual-reality device allows pilots and crew to practice realistic emergency scenarios

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