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

Ocean Aviation, a new name in the FBO arena, has made a splash in the South Florida area with the acquisition of National Jets, one of four service providers at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (KFLL).&nbsp;
In operation for nearly 80 years, National Jets has an 8,000-sq-ft terminal and 22,000 sq ft of hangar space. In 2024, the company announced a $70 million <a href="https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2024-08-06/florida-fbo-launch-major-redevelopment-project">expansion</a> project that would add 150,000 sq ft of hangars and a new terminal. The FBO’s new ownership plans to start that development immediately.
Founded last year and backed by Kennedy Lewis Investment Management, Ocean Aviation was also awarded a 40-year lease to build a new FBO at Miami Executive Airport (KTMB). This planned $67 million complex will include a terminal, fuel farm, and up to 400,000 sq ft of community and private hangars, and it will provide a new home for the Wings Over Miami Air Museum. Construction is expected to begin this month.
“This is a market we believe in deeply, and we will invest in the facility, the team, and the experience accordingly,” said Ocean Aviation chairman Romain Grosjean. “Combined with our development at Miami Executive Airport, Ocean Aviation is now developing two of the premier private aviation gateways in South Florida, with a clear mandate to set a new standard for the FBO experience in this market.”

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

New FBO Operator Ocean Aviation Acquires First Facility

Founded last year, Ocean Aviation is up and running

Fledgling FBO chain Ocean Aviation has acquired its first facility.

2024 Corporate Aviation Leadership Summit

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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