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

As Hurricane Dorian churns further north after making landfall this morning near Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, many in the general aviation community are looking to support relief missions to parts of the Bahamas such as Grand Bahama Island and the Abacos that experienced “generational devastation" from the Category 5 storm that lingered over the islands for two days. At its worst, Grand Bahama was more than 60 percent submerged, leaving structures at its main airport in Freeport in shambles. More than 30 deaths have been reported, and early calculations estimate damage of $7 billion to the islands.

 


According to Opsgroup, information about the conditions at Freeport International (MYGF), as well as Leonard M. Thompson International (MYAM), Sandy Point (MYAS), and Treasure Cay Airports (MYAT)—all on the Abaco Islands—are still sketchy. MYGF and MYAM both have 15-nm no-fly zones for non-authorized aircraft.

 


Due to the crowded airspace and unusual conditions, the organization warns against lone wolf relief flights, advising all pilots to first receive approval to operate from the <a href="http://www.bahamas.gov.bs/wps/portal/public/About%20NEMA/The%20National%20Emergency%20Management%20Agency/!ut/p/b1/vZRLr6IwGEB_EZeWApVlkYfljYCAGyICIoLIVUH99eNMbjKr653FxHbV5Hw56WlSds0m7Pq4Gfe7zWXfHzft7_NazHwZ-IElIQKohgANkQ_NGYLmgnsC6RMA3ywC_swjoNuE8DNbF4AIaORZxMMLzjU5NmYTIwU3haeTRsMsqCv9VK-M2lKDgtBEg7XNZdveqQzzbHzyWAQ8KiBqhSm96eRkHdWgCvL8zrSxzJ-ovbYZMRrSxOTcpHCH0MCKK2rCIETG56xhMqWvRRSCXRUoTuhelXPLxObFcLOH0xUDDXTJ8nvZw1xtwd7reV_BIFI0v7gGGt74iBI536PzbbDUxN2sOvuKmR2NBTR1Xy1eXPafWn4HEPGn-Zhdv8zNgy_g1XO9lBD8EyCyzqLvSjZ9YvhbTEVsyCaAz4LmfqKPw2PZgOkWPjQ3AMMNqtAIrdx3ogNnF7ITHFoTRNANG822sUadkE7nS-gVq2UkE7mWw_76gzDi3i2E7xbiNwvhu5PC_5_UYNf7vPuYtt0H-BAAD3jI8wjymONEiV01KX9RZ3RS1efPdL4Zd73dpkRW9kCNlIV9kWfQHvepZHo37NdaCl1xllQa6HlGCrSekB43rlVejqhakocozSdndx_VeTlX6zKIdKxTXxkML0Kdme_mn1m5mTFHg8QPurA62LZjLNq9kjPzhobYOfEQRe1NEldNbDSpvo2Po-tMuAhgFIn2pro-aAgqyWgukzuUxdbSPNsf8GFMYi4QQkPJhijwhrVSlH0nMHo-4nhLmaL0bV2f9og9ddFoWuJSrZTk8XeTX3ja6UE!/dl4/d5/L2dBISEvZ0FBIS9nQSEh/">Bahamas National Emergency Management Agency</a> (NEMA) and/or the Bahamas Civil Aviation Authority.

 


The Aviation charity Turtles Fly Too, which normally concentrates on transporting stranded sea turtles, reports it has temporarily turned its focus to relief flights, and that one of its member aircraft, a Pilatus PC-12, landed this morning at Freeport with a load of vital supplies.

 


For those looking to contribute supplies, several Florida airports are serving as collection and staging points, with many FBOs waiving landings fees and offering discount fuel for relief flights as noted on the <a href="http://sfbaa.org/page-1235925/7863942">South Florida Business Aviation Association website</a>. Aviation emergency organization <a href="https://aerobridge.org/">AERObridge</a> noted that needed supplies include&nbsp;bottled water, canned food with flip-top lids, pet food, diapers (baby and adult), baby food/formula, toilet paper, feminine hygiene, tents, bedding, mosquito nets, flashlights, batteries. The organization is accepting donations at Page Field in Fort Myers, Florida, through Sunday.&nbsp;"Aircraft will be leaving Page Field full of supplies by Thursday for the Bahamas," said CEO Marianne Stevenson.

General Aviation Mobilizes To Help Bahamas 

After the then-Category 5 storm left a trail of destruction through the islands, small aircraft are now beginning to shuttle in humanitarian supplies.

2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

AIN Products

SUBSCRIPTIONS

RESOURCES

ABOUT AIN