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

Airbus Helicopters AS332L, EC225, H215, and H225 series

Curt Epstein

Aftermarket helicopter equipment manufacturer Aerometals has begun deliveries of its newly-designed inlet barrier filter (IBF) for the Airbus Helicopters H225, with the first production units shipped to launch customer Air Center Helicopters, which operates more than 20 of the aircraft worldwide.
Air Center provided one of those rotorcraft as a flight test platform, with its company CEO, Rod Tinney, serving as test pilot. According to the manufacturer—which developed the product with support from engine maker Safran—its new, lighter-weight IBF, constructed from composite Kevlar materials, is a substantial improvement in air filtration when compared to the legacy units on the market. It achieves a 99.3% SAE coarse test dust filtration efficiency, providing increased protection against foreign object damage, erosion, fouling, and corrosion.
The unit features several advanced design elements, including an integrated bypass door that ensures uninterrupted airflow to the engine in the event of a filter blockage, and removable filter elements for cleaning and maintenance. It is certified for bird strike protection and has been tested in icing conditions.
“The IBF will be a game changer for Air Center Helicopters and others operating in austere conditions, especially with dust,” explained Tinney. “Many of the southwest U.S. locations we operate in have a talc-like dust that severely impacts engines that the MPAI does not filter or catch.” He added, “These IBFs will go a long way to preserve engine life and make it possible for engines to make TBO and maintain high operational readiness for our customers.
Aerometals will be officially unveiling the IBF at its Verticon booth in Atlanta on Tuesday at 1:30 pm.

News and issues regarding all manner of civil and military rotorcraft and their powerplants, including helicopters, tilt rotors and unmanned air vehicles.

Aerometals Unveils New H225 Inlet Barrier Filter at Verticon

Advanced design makes its official debut at Verticon

Aerometals has introduced a new, higher-efficiency inlet barrier filter for the Airbus Helicopters H225

Aerometals Unveils New H225 Inlet Barrier Filter

2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

Amy Wilder

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.

Orders include firm helicopters and multi-aircraft framework agreements

Verticon Brings Light-Twin Orders for Airbus

Chad Trautvetter

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.

HeliKorea opts for another AW139, while Japan’s Mitsui Bussan adds two AW169s

Leonardo Logs Helicopter Orders from Asian Customers

Hanneke Weitering

News and issues relating to civil and military unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) of all kinds and sizes, including those used for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), combat (unmanned combat air vehicles, or UCAVs), law enforcement, research and other applications. Of particular focus is the FAA's planned integration of UAS into the U.S. national airspace system.

Nomad 100, U-Hawk, and HEX set to soar

Three Sikorsky Demonstrators Target First Flights in 2026

Matt Thurber

Essential news and analysis on the defense aerospace business. Your trusted source for new and ongoing programs and requirements in military aircraft (manned and unmanned), engines, avionics, weapons and associated systems, including ground-based air defense.

Verticon 2026

In this article

AS332/EC225/H215/H225

Aerometals

Airbus Helicopters

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HeliKorea opts for another AW139, while Japan’s Mitsui Bussan adds two AW169s

Three Sikorsky Demonstrators Target First Flights in 2026

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