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

Desert Jet, which operates the Desert Jet Center FBO and a Part 145 maintenance facility at Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport (KTRM) near Palm Springs, California, announced it has broken ground on a major <a href="https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2026-02-26/following-lease-expansion-desert-jet-plans-major-build" target="_blank">facility expansion</a>.
The first phase of the $24 million project includes 3.5 acres of ramp and is expected to be completed by the end of the year. It will more than double the complex’s apron and pave the way for construction of two new 28,000-sq-ft climate-controlled hangars next year. Once finished, these additions will bring the company to nearly 80,000 sq ft of aircraft shelter and maintenance space on the field.
Desert Jet will discuss the expansion with attendees at next week’s NBAA-BACE in Las Vegas.
“Breaking ground on this expansion marks an exciting milestone for Desert Jet and the continued growth of KTRM,” said Desert Jet CEO Jared Fox. “We’ve made a significant commitment to this airport because we believe strongly in its future and its growing importance to business aviation and the Coachella Valley. This expansion is another step in our long-term vision to develop world-class aviation facilities that support our customers, attract new business, and contribute to the region’s economic growth.”

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California FBO/MRO Desert Jet Begins Major Expansion

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Work has started on the new ramp at Desert Jet's facility at Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport in Palm Springs, California, part of a multi-million expansion.

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