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.

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Aircraft powerplant maker Pratt &amp; Whitney has expanded its engine inspection capabilities with the purchase of Amsterdam-based Aiir Innovations and the integration of its AI-assisted borescope software.
The proprietary software assists inspectors by applying AI to the analysis of borescope video to deliver faster, more repeatable assessments. By adapting to inspector feedback to enhance classification performance over time, “the technology becomes smarter, more accurate and increasingly aligned with real-world expertise,” Pratt &amp; Whitney noted. It also enables configurable reporting capabilities, allowing processes that once required substantial time to be completed in minutes with greater quality, consistency, traceability and accuracy.
According to the Connecticut-based manufacturer, the modified inspection process has already been rolled out to both commercial customers and MRO providers and is already in use on the V2500 engine (which powers the Airbus A320ceo family and the versatile Embraer C-390 military transport), significantly reducing inspection times.
Pilot tests on the company’s geared turbofan (GTF) and F135 engines were recently completed, with plans to further expand its use. 
“Broadening the integration of AI-assisted inspection capability strengthens our ability to detect issues earlier, improve turnaround times, increase time on wing and reduce operational disruption for our customers,” said Rob Griffiths, the OEM’s senior v-p for commercial engines operations. “It will fundamentally reshape how engines and components are inspected, maintained and supported throughout their lifecycle, as we increase its application across Pratt &amp; Whitney.”

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