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

Australian agribusiness conglomerate GrainCorp said its home country has enough feedstock to meet its 2030 estimated sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) needs as its SAF industry transitions from feasibility studies to early commercial deployment.
In a white paper, “From Paddock to Plane,” the company noted that Australia’s current volumes of potential feedstocks such as used cooking oil, tallow, canola, sugarcane, wheat starch, crop residues, forestry residues, and municipal solid waste could yield nearly three billion gallons of neat SAF a year.&nbsp;With future feedstock developments, including energy crops and perennials, the country’s total feedstock potential could be used to produce about 4.5 billion gallons of SAF annually.
According to the report, each SAF refinery technology is at a different maturity level (with the longest-established HEFA pathway using used cooking oils, fats, and greases) and has different feedstock requirements, which often are not suitable for other processes.
While Australia’s diverse feedstocks, production types, and regions provide a good foundation for a domestic sustainable aviation fuel industry, GrainCorp recommends that used cooking oil,&nbsp;along with sugar and starch crops, could kickstart the country’s SAF production industry. That assessment is based on technology maturity, economic competitiveness, and supply-chain readiness.

News about environmental issues relating to aircraft operations, including noise issues, emissisions, and regulations. See Fuel for biofuel.

Report: Australia Has Enough SAF Feedstock for 2030 Needs

Country is just developing production capacity

Though Australia has not yet developed any sustainable aviation fuel production capacity, a new report says it won’t lack for feedstocks.

2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

Charlotte Bailey

News and developments about aircraft engines, including turbofan, turboprop, turboshaft and piston.

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.

Efficiency of existing products remains key to OEM’s sustainability strategy

Rolls-Royce's Hydrogen Capabilities Await Market Maturity 

Charles Alcock

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.

A joint venture with the University of Nottingham is a product of the H2Gear program

GKN-backed Start-up Focuses on Electric Motors

Amy Wilder

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.

G800 with Pearl 700 engine flew neat SAF; modded G700 served as flying laboratory

Gulfstream SAF Testing Shows Contrail Emission Cuts

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.

EBAA praises ‘encouraging direction’ amid ongoing lobbying efforts 

SAF Book-and-claim Could Cover Non-EU Airports 

European General Court says business aviation should be part of “green taxonomy”

EU Court Overturns Bizav’s Sustainability Criteria Exclusion

News and developments about aviation fuel, including jet fuel, aviation gasoline, and biofuel.

Facility uses renewable electricity to produce sustainable fuel from air

Sustainable Aviation Fuel Plant Opens in Washington State

Global sustainable aviation fuel production is still less than 1% of jet fuel use

IATA: SAF Production Volumes Still Disappointing

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

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