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

The FAA late last night issued a <a href="https://tfr.faa.gov/tfr3/?page=detail_6_2233">notam</a> closing the skies over El Paso, Texas, for the next 10 days, citing “Special Security Reasons” for the TFR. While an FAA spokesperson told AIN that the notam was cancelled around 9 a.m. EST this morning, another similar TFR established over <a href="https://tfr.faa.gov/tfr3/?page=detail_6_2234">Santa Teresa, New Mexico</a>, remains in effect, according to the agency.
The El Paso TFR, which would have shut down El Paso International Airport (KELP) for the duration, described a 20-mile diameter exclusion zone—centered around the airport, and extending from the surface up to 18,000 feet—simply as “ntl defense airspace.”
A travel advisory issued by the airport early this morning announced that all flights to and from El Paso are grounded, including commercial, cargo, and general aviation. Even more strikingly, the restriction applied to local law enforcement and medevac flights as well.
Issued without advance notice, the TFRs—which represented the longest announced closures of U.S. airspace since the 9/11 aftermath—were unusually strict in their verbiage, stating, “Pilots who do not adhere to the following proc may be intercepted, detained and interviewed by law enforcement/security personnel,” and warning that “the United States government may use deadly force against the airborne acft, if it is determined that the acft poses an imminent security threat.”
The issuance of the notams blindsided both local congressional lawmakers and the traveling public, many of whom arrived at KELP this morning to find their flights cancelled.
According to The New York Times, while Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy attributed the El Paso TFR to a drug cartel drone incursion, another source blamed the shutdown on the testing of anti-drone technology.
André Carson (D-Indiana),&nbsp;ranking member of the subcommittee on aviation, and Rick Larsen (D-Washington)—ranking member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure—issued a joint statement in response to the situation. “What happened in El Paso last night is unacceptable,” they said. “While we’re not happy with the disruption, we commend the FAA for taking swift action to protect travelers and ensure the safety of U.S. airspace. This chaotic outcome is the result of ham-handed language forced into the [National Defense Authorization Act] by the White House that allowed the Pentagon to act recklessly in the public airspace. We look forward to pursuing a bipartisan solution that strengthens interagency coordination and ensures that the Department of Defense will not jeopardize safety and disrupt the freedom to travel.”

News about bills, laws, regulations and other governmental decisions affecting aviation and aerospace. Topics include FAA re-authorizations, taxes on fuel and aviation activities, environmental legislation, ICAO decisions, governmental mediation of labor conflicts and World Trade Organization disputes and decisions.

Surprise FAA Notams Wreak Havoc in Texas and New Mexico

Questions swirl regarding their purpose

Questions abound as to the reasons behind a late-night TFR that threatened to stifle air traffic in El Paso, Texas, for the next 10 days.

2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

Neelam Mathews

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 about commercial airlines, including regulations, aircraft orders, safety, acquisitions, and mergers.

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for a "leapfrog to aerial mobility"

Indian eVTOL Aircraft Pioneers Seek Regulatory Progress

Gordon Gilbert

News and information on safety procedures and concerns.

News and issues relating to international air transport and cargo carriers, national airlines and regional airlines, including aircraft, engines, personnel, acquisitions, accidents, safety, security and training.

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.

U.S. regulator sets three deadlines for affected aircraft

Turbine Biz Aircraft Included in FAA CVR Upgrade Rule

Amy Wilder

New developments and products in avionics, specifically about aircraft electronics in the cockpit.

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.

Gander ACC reports increased pilot errors

FAA Warns of CPDLC Confusion in North Atlantic Airspace

Kerry Lynch

FAA had temporarily furloughed 10,000 workers 

FAA $12B Budget Passes as Govt Ends Partial Shutdown

Charles Alcock

Gulfstream awaits Transport Canada certification for FAA- and EASA- approved jets

Gulfstream Confirms Delay over Canadian Type Certification

FAA urges use of its Chart Supplement data, attention to declared distances

FAA Cautions Pilots on Runway Length Sources

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

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

IBAC has committed to supporting the local industry group 

Indian Bizav Group Seeks Regulatory Rationalization

Charlotte Bailey

Essential news and analysis on the defense aerospace business. Your trusted source for new and ongoing programs and requirements in military aircraft (manned and unmanned), engines, avionics, weapons and associated systems, including ground-based air defense.

More In Regulations and Government