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

Citing increased revenue, deliveries and demand—particularly among its M-class and trainer aircraft—Piper Aircraft has expanded its workforce by more than 20 percent over the past 18 months. The expansion,&nbsp;to more than 900 employees, marks its largest employment growth period since 2009.

 


“With aircraft orders in place for 2018 and several long-term contracts for trainer aircraft, the near-term forecast is stable,” said company president and CEO Simon Caldecott. “Additionally, our commitment to a level-loaded, built-to-order business model further enhances stability and creates consistent workload for the team.”

 


The Vero Beach, Florida-based aircraft manufacturer also announced that it has expanded the sales territory of OK Aviation Sales, a central European Piper Aircraft dealer and support company, to include Bulgaria and Romania. The company's territory previously covered Czech Republic, Hungary and the Slovak Republic.

 


“OK Aviation’s reputation, knowledgeable personnel and full-service operation provide an ideal foundation for growing sales and providing support of new Piper airplanes in this important region,” said Ron Gunnarson, the OEM’s vice president of sales, marketing and customer support. “We are delighted to expand OK Aviation’s territory and continue to work with them as we continue to grow the aviation market within these key Eastern European countries.”

News and developments about airplanes, helicopters and unmanned air vehicles used in all varieties of operations, including airlines, military, business, commercial, general aviation and private.

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