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 has expressed “significant concerns” about the Mesa, Arizona city council’s <a href="https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/general-aviation/2026-03-25/landing-fees-approved-arizonas-falcon-field">decision</a> to impose landing fees at Falcon Field Airport (KFFZ). In a <a href="https://download.aopa.org/advocacy/2026/2026-04-13_FAA-Falcon-Field-ACO-Letter.pdf">letter</a> to Mesa mayor Mark Freeman, city manager Scott Butler, and airport director Corinne Nystrom dated April 13, but only recently obtained by AOPA, the agency noted that the plan “may be inconsistent with the city’s federal obligations, both grant assurances and Surplus Property Act conveyance obligations.”
Approved by the city in March, the measure would charge more than $20 per landing for all airplanes weighing less than 6,000 pounds based at the airport, with 10 free landings a month. Some have described this as a tax on flight training activities for the several flight schools that call KFFZ home. Transient aircraft under that weight limit would be charged $24.35 per landing.
In the letter, Michael Helvey, director of the FAA’s office of airport compliance, stated, “The city’s landing fees structure may unreasonably interfere with, or limit, legitimate aeronautical activities. Any attempt to limit operations or specific types of operations, through landing fees, is not permissible.” He added, “The city’s unusual landing fee structure has the potential for systemwide impacts and thus must be assessed.”
Last month, AOPA submitted a letter to the FAA in support of a Part 13 complaint filed by two flight schools at KFFZ against the city and asked the agency to impose a stay on any fees until it had conducted a full investigation into the situation.
AOPA general counsel Fernando Campoamor noted a growing trend of airports using landing fees to discourage flight operations and address neighborhood noise complaints. “The FAA’s decision in this matter will certainly have a national impact and will influence how other airport sponsors proceed in the future, and whether and how fees are imposed,” he said.

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.

FAA Questions Landing Fees at Mesa Falcon Field

Fee imposition may affect the airport’s improvement grants

The FAA is questioning the City of Mesa, Arizona’s proposed landing fee structure.

2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

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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.

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