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.

Senior Editor

Bombardier manufactures a variety of business aircraft models, provides engineering, and aircraft maintenance services.

Curt Epstein

Ahead of its anticipated entry into service later this year, construction on the first production example of the Bombardier Global 8000 is nearing completion at the airframer’s <a href="https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2024-05-01/bombardiers-next-chapter-pearson">final assembly center</a> near Toronto.&nbsp;When it enters service, the Global 8000 will be the fastest certified civil aircraft since the Concorde, with a top speed of Mach 0.94. It will also have an 8,000-nm range.
“The first Global 8000 production aircraft is steadily progressing through final assembly, and we are on track to meet our targets for this incredible aircraft—the industry’s fastest and most impressive ultra-long-range business jet,” explained David Murray, the Canadian OEM’s executive v-p of manufacturing, IT, and operational excellence. “Our engineering and production teams continue to display unmatched levels of commitment, innovation, and expertise at all stages of the manufacturing process.”
Meanwhile, the program’s Wichita-based test aircraft (the modified former Global 7500&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2022-05-23/bombardier-global-8000-takes-speed-range-crowns">FTV 5</a>) has been busy of late flying missions to Europe to showcase its performance attributes under real-world operating conditions. With its extended range, the Global 8000 will be able to link city pairs such as Dubai-Houston, Singapore-Los Angeles, and London-Perth.
The large-cabin twinjet will feature four living zones and a separate crew rest area.

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Bombardier’s First Production Global 8000 in Final Assembly

The ultra-long-range jet is on track to enter service this year

Bombardier's Global 8000 is on track to enter service later this year.

Bombardier’s First Global 8000 in Final Assembly

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In this article

Global 7500 and 8000

Bombardier

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