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

A new white paper from business aviation consultancy Rolland Vincent Associates (RVA) examined differences between customers at the larger end of the private jet spectrum.
The report: Tailored to Fit: Decoding the Structural Break Between Super Midsize and Large Business Jets is the latest in a series of commentaries on key industry topics from the company, and was intended to consider the question of where the next clean-sheet business jet is likely to emerge.
While the super mid (SMS) and large jet segments are often grouped together in strategic discussions, RVA examined proprietary Jetnet iQ survey results, data from Jetnet marketplace and WINGX Global Insight, to determine how SMS and large cabin jet structures, customer profiles, and usage patterns differ, and what these differences could mean for future airframer strategy. At its conclusion, the report found those segments in fact serve different customers with different missions and value propositions.
“Our analysis shows that SMS and large jets are not points on a smooth continuum—they are separate markets with their own rules of engagement,” said RVA president Rolland Vincent. “Misreading this structural divide can lead to costly missteps in product planning.”
According to RVA, SMS customers are more cost-conscious and value-focused, while those considering a large jet purchase prioritize capability, brand prestige, and global reach.
RVA noted that for business jet customers, 4,200 nm range is a defining breakpoint, with a step change in cabin volume, price, and mission profile apparent above that threshold. Beyond that point, buyers expect not just additional range, but also greater space, system complexity, and prestige. This shift impacts both aircraft design and customer psychology in meaningful ways.
RVA’s first report, <a href="https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2025-07-30/analyst-report-spotlights-harm-tariffs-bizav">Back to the Future: In Support of a Zero-Tariff Marketplace for Business Jets,</a> was released in July.

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