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

NBAA’s Schedulers &amp; Dispatchers Conference (SDC), held last week in Cleveland for the first time, was a record-breaker, according to the show organizers. Over the course of three days, it attracted more than 3,500 attendees—10% of them making their first SDC appearance—to the Huntington Convention Center, coming from all 50 U.S. states and 55 countries. On the sold-out show floor, more than 440 exhibiting companies occupied the largest amount of space in the conference’s 37-year history.
During the event, attendees&nbsp;could choose from a slate of 34 educational sessions, with topics ranging from optimizing fuel planning and uplift to mental health in aviation. To support future industry growth, upwards of $40,000 in monetary scholarships was awarded, along with 16 training scholarships.
On the show’s opening day, NBAA staff and industry leaders welcomed representatives from Ohio’s congressional offices at the city’s <a href="https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2025-11-20/aopa-joins-clevelands-burke-lakefront-closure-battle">besieged</a> Burke Lakefront Airport to illustrate the importance of general aviation in the region.
“This year’s conference was yet another record-breaking event, but it was about much more than a set of numbers,” said NBAA head Ed Bolen. “This conference uniquely brings together a group of professionals who fundamentally understand that we are all better—as individuals, and as an industry—when we can come together to share our passion, our knowledge, and our sense of possibility about the future.”
The event was capped off on Thursday night by the second annual AIN FBO Awards Gala held at Cleveland’s landmark Agora Theater.
Next year’s SDC will be held from February 22 to 24 at the Broward County Convention Center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

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

NBAA Schedulers & Dispatchers Conference Sets New Records

Annual show’s Cleveland debut proved a huge success

Record crowds of attendees and the largest amount of exhibitor space combine to make last week’s NBAA Schedulers & Dispatchers Conference a record-setter.

2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

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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.

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2026 AIN FBO Survey

The company is transitioning into aviation real estate and infrastructure management

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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.

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