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

Michigan-based services provider <a href="https://www.ainonline.com/sites/ainonline.com/files/pdf/fbosurvey2022_online_0.pdf" target="_blank">Pentastar Aviation</a> has achieved two industry safety milestones—Wyvern Wingman Pro recognition and Stage 2 International Standard for Business Aircraft Handling (IS-BAH) registration.

 


The company’s charter operation became&nbsp;one of only eight operators in the world to be&nbsp;recognized with Wyvern Wingman Pro. The Pro designation, one of the industry’s highest safety standards, is issued only after an established Wingman operator demonstrates effectiveness in all areas of safety management systems, excellence in the addressing of human factors and organizational safety culture, and continuous conformity to international standards by way of an internal audit program.

 


“Pentastar’s certification as a Wyvern Wingman Pro operator sets them apart from other operators in the air charter industry,” said Wyvern CEO Sonnie Bates. “This achievement validates their commitment to attaining and maintaining an enduring safety culture that elevates their performance above other operators who are just beginning to embrace the value of formal safety risk management.”

 


The Detroit-area company's&nbsp;FBO at Oakland County International Airport (KPTK)&nbsp;achieved the Stage 2 IS-BAH registration. Only five percent of all FBOs in the U.S. have reached this level in the audit-based standard of industry best practices.

 


“Receiving Stage 2 IS-BAH registration reinforces safety as our top priority,” explained company president and CEO Greg Schmidt. “Our FBO team is led by accomplished and knowledgeable aviation veterans who consistently emphasize and encourage our 'safety-first' mentality to our entire team.”

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