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

Hangar Direct, a web-based platform that started out as a quasi-Airbnb for aircraft owners seeking overnight or short-term shelter for their aircraft, has continued evolving into a software-as-a-service provider.&nbsp;The four-year-old company has now removed all service fees for pilots using its service and hangar operators listing vacancies, and added hangar management services.
“I built Hangar Direct because I got caught in bad weather in my Phenom 300 and spent hours on the phone getting pressured into overpriced options,” said company co-founder, CEO, and pilot Trenton Ray. “Removing fees is about making sure the platform is actually on the pilot’s side and not taking a cut every time someone needs a place to put their airplane.”
The website has listings searchable by airport, state, lease type, and aircraft size.&nbsp;Aircraft operators can also join waitlists for airports in specific areas to be notified when suitable spaces open up.
In partnership with airports, FBOs, and other hangarkeepers, Hangar Direct is now offering hangar management services, with listing management, tenant compliance, lease creation, payment tracking, document storage, e-signatures, and marketplace lead management all in one place.
“The compliance module is the most significant new capability in the platform,” said Ray. “It was built specifically for the documentation burden that airport operators and FBO managers deal with constantly.”
All costs to hangar operators are covered by a flat subscription rate, and the company is offering free trials.
“These changes make it genuinely free to use for pilots and give operators a real alternative to the spreadsheets and email chains most of them are still running their businesses on,” Ray concluded.

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

Hangar Direct Drops User Fees, Expands Offerings to Hangar Management

Launched in 2022, the platform continues to evolve

Hangar Direct has eliminated user fees for its aircraft operator customers.

Hangar Direct Drops User Fees, Expands Offerings

2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

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.

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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Charles Alcock

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