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

Following nearly 20 months of construction, Sheltair will debut its newest location with the opening of its FBO at Sarasota–Bradenton International Airport (KSRQ) on November 1. For the Florida-based aircraft service provider, this represents its 17th FBO location overall and the 13th in its home state.
Occupying 25 acres on the field, including 12 acres of ramp, the $40 million development will feature a 10,705-sq-ft terminal with 11,680-sq-ft airside arrivals canopy; large, naturally lit lobby; two conference rooms seating eight and 14, respectively; VIP lounge; and pilot lounge and concierge.
In addition, the complex will also include 46,530 sq ft of hangar space capable of accommodating the latest ultra-long-range business jets, nearly 10,000 sq ft of office space, and a fuel farm holding 40,000 gallons of jet-A and 20,000 gallons of avgas.&nbsp;Initial hours of operation will be from 6 a.m. until 10 p.m., changing to 24/7 next year.
Sheltair noted that a CBP inspection facility is set to open on the field in second-quarter 2026, and it plans to add more large hangars and a 60,000-sq-ft MRO facility to its leasehold.
Meanwhile, the FBO chain and fuel provider Avfuel named the six recipients of this year’s Sheltair x Avfuel: Future Takes Flight Scholarship, selected from more than 1,100 entries, this week at NBAA-BACE 2025. Now in its fourth year, the program awarded six $5,000 scholarships across three categories.
This year’s class includes Trent Hartle of Traverse City, Michigan, and Kamiron Anderson of Salt Lake City for aviation technicians; Jalen Dennis of St. Louis, Missouri, and Mary Springer of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, for continuing education; and Theodore Johnson of Ypsilanti, Michigan, and Aidan Hillegass of Oxford, Pennsylvania, for the Learning to Fly category.
“Each year, this scholarship gives us the privilege to spotlight remarkable people who are building their futures in aviation,” said Sheltair president and CEO Lisa Holland. “We’re honored to invest in their training and can’t wait to see how they elevate business aviation in the years ahead.”

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