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.

Senior Editor

Curt Epstein

California-based aircraft charter, management and maintenance provider Desert Jet will expand its operations at Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport (TRM) in the Palm Springs area, with the announcement that it is establishing its own FBO. Operations are slated to begin next month from a temporary structure, while the permanent $5 million, FBO is expected to be completed by the end of April.

 


“Desert Jet’s decision to invest in this aircraft hangar, terminal and office development project reflects our confidence in the role of the Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport as the center of business aviation operations in our region,” said company president and CEO Denise Wilson, who believes the new facility with its modern design and function will change the landscape at the Thermal airport, which has seen significant growth over the past decade.

 


Currently TRM is served by Signature Flight Support and Landmark Aviation FBOs, but with the recent news that Signature parent company BBA Aviation is attempting to acquire Landmark, it remains to be seen whether Signature will be allowed to combine the two locations into a single FBO. The five-acre Desert Jet Center will include 10,000 sq ft of terminal, office and maintenance space, along with a 22,500-sq-ft hangar that will accommodate the latest class of ultra-long-range business jets with its 130-foot wide, 28-foot-tall doors. The company signed on as an Epic-branded dealer and will be exhibiting here at NBAA as part of the fuel provider’s lineup of FBOs (Booth C6609). It is in the process of installing its tank farm, which when complete will hold 48,000 gallons of jet-A.

 


Established in 2007, Desert Jet’s charter/management and maintenance businesses will be exhibiting separately here at the show at Booth C13328.

New developments at FBOs including regulations and noise issues; legal disputes; openings, acquisitions and mergers.

Desert Jet Joins the FBO Business

The company is building its own FBO at California’s Jacqueline Cochrane Regional Airport

2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

AmyWilder

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

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.

Award ceremony to take place in Nashville in November

NATA To Honor Rick Crider with Airport Executive Award

Network now lists more than 140 locations globally

Washington, D.C.-area FBO Joins Paragon Network

Pepper oversaw the growth of Atlantic Aviation into a mega chain

Pepper Honored with NATA William Ong Achievement Award

The company has been a fixture at Columbia Metropolitan Airport since 1967

Eagle Aviation: Serving South Carolina for Nearly Six Decades

The Jet In FBO at KMKE has been open for little more than a year

Jet Aviation Buys Newly Opened Milwaukee FBO

News and issues about aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO), covering all segments of the aviation industry; and modifications for aircraft and engines. Subjects include product support of aircraft, engines and avionics, MRO company mergers, acquisitions, announcements and personnel, Airworthiness Directives, Supplemental Type Certificate approvals and other topics.

The $25 million development added more than 100,000 sq ft of hangar and office space

Fargo Jet Center Debuts Major Expansion at KFAR

$15 million development will enhance the aircraft shelter at KHDN

Hangar Complex Project Begins at Colorado Airport

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

NBAA-BACE 2015

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