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

Aviation real estate developer High Flying Hangars has signed a lease agreement with the city of Manassas, Virginia, to build a $20 million, 35-unit private hangar complex at Washington, D.C.-area dedicated general aviation gateway Manassas Regional Airport (KHEF). Groundbreaking is expected by year-end, with a targeted completion in late 2027.
“Manassas is a very important GA airfield,” said company founder and CEO Kenny Hinkes. “It’s right under the Dulles Class B airspace, and it provides significant resources to the city.”
Plans for the five-acre site on the west side of the field include seventeen 2,000-sq-ft hangars; the same number of 3,600-sq-ft hangars,&nbsp;suitable for light jets and turboprops; and one larger hangar, with its size yet to be determined.
With a waiting list for aircraft shelter at KHEF stretching up to three years, and other nearby airports also at full capacity, the developer noted more than half of the projected hangar units are already taken.
“There’s no shortage of demand for hangars at Manassas, and we’re thrilled to be able to provide owners with what they desire, while including amenities that greatly improve the hangar ownership experience, such as full insulation, heating, private restrooms, and premium power doors,” explained Lisa deFrees, the company’s senior v-p of sales and marketing.
This is the second hangar development project for the company in the capital region. In October,&nbsp;it received lease approval for a 11.45-acre plot midfield at Frederick Municipal Airport in Maryland. The multiphase complex will include nearly 100 hangars as well as a clubhouse. It is also pursuing projects in New Mexico, <a href="https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2025-07-10/hangar-developer-wins-rfp-las-vegas-area-kbvu">Nevada</a>, and <a href="https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2025-06-27/denton-airport-lease-clears-path-new-hangars">Texas</a>.
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