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

Curt Epstein

In the wake of several high-profile incidents where <a href="https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2019-05-27/def-contamination-downs-two-citations">business aircraft had their fuel systems contaminated</a> with diesel exhaust fluid (DEF), aviation fuel handling and testing equipment provider Gammon Technical Products (GTP) is now distributing a field test kit for the detection of DEF in fuel system icing inhibitor (FSII). Developed by fuel testing equipment manufacturer Emcee Electronics, the new DEFKIT can detect DEF contamination concentrations in FSII as low as 2 percent.

 


According to GTP, the test requires no special training or instruments and is recommended after each refilling of the FSII reservoir on aviation refueling equipment.

 


Both DEF and FSII are colorless liquids and the former has been mistaken for the latter with <a href="https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2018-08-24/close-call-falcon-def-contaminated-fuel">near-catastrophic results</a>. <a href="https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2018-08-24/close-call-falcon-def-contaminated-fuel">I</a>n the event of a failed DEFKIT test, GTP notes that the reservoir, the entire additive injection system, and refueling equipment downstream of the injection point must be considered contaminated. Also in this case, aircraft fueled with additive, at least since the reservoir was last filled, should be considered not flight worthy, notified, and grounded until it can be determined that they are safe to fly.

 


“DEF contamination is 100 percent preventable with the proper training and controls in place,” said Michael France, managing director for safety and training for NATA, which is working with its members to bring awareness of this new kit. “The DEFKIT…adds an extra layer of protection to ensure we don’t experience another contamination event.”

 


NATA currently offers a <a href="https://www.nata.aero/assets/Site_18/files/DEF/OBP%2036%20-%20DEF%20Handling%20and%20Contamination%20Prevention.pdf">free operational guide</a> for DEF Handling and Contamination Prevention through its Safety 1st program, and a spokesperson told AIN the organization has not modified its operational best practices or training to include the use of the test kit, but added it will work through its Safety Committee to assess future changes to its training and programs.

News and developments about aviation fuel, including jet fuel, aviation gasoline, and biofuel.

DEF Field Test Kit Now Available for Aircraft Fuelers

After several incidents where business aircraft had their fuel systems contaminated with diesel exhaust fluid, a new field test kit is now available.

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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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