Airports across Florida are shrugging off the results of Hurricane Milton today. Sarasota/Bradenton International Airport (KSRQ) is shuttered as workers continue to clean up and assess damage to the airport’s infrastructure. Officials expect the airport to reopen to GA traffic at noon on Saturday, with commercial service to follow next week, pending TSA approval.

Further north, St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport (KPIE) was also heavily impacted. Signature Aviation said the airport is slated to reopen this afternoon and that its FBO there suffered damage to its terminal and hangars. The Orlando-based chain reported disruptions at its headquarters and five of its bases, with KPIE and Tampa International Airport (KTPA)—which reopened at 8 a.m. this morning—seeing the heaviest impact.

Sheltair saw damage to its two locations in St. Petersburg as well, with hangars heavily damaged at both KPIE and GA-only Albert Whitted Airport (KSPG), which also remains closed. The company reported that its other FBOs in the area are now fully operational.

To the south of Milton’s track, the airport-operated FBO at Page Field Airport in Fort Myers noted that it sustained minor damage and was fully operational this morning with power restored. At nearby Southwest Florida International Airport (KRSW), lone FBO Private Sky reported minimal damage to its facility and is hosting Air National Guard search-and-rescue operations while GA and commercial operations resumed this morning.

In my August 2024 blog, I began a discussion of the FAA’s recent approval of a number of prescription weight loss medications. These medications can generally be used for pilots without necessitating a special issuance authorization to do so.

There are some restrictions, of course, but for the most part, the protocols are relatively straightforward and easy to comply with. Once initiating an acceptable medication, while the FAA typically requires a two-week stabilization period before a pilot resumes flight status, the good news is that there will be no extended period of grounding while an interminable wait for FAA review drags on.

Medical issues that can result from being overweight are many. Additional factors for pilots to consider include simple things such as comfort when seated for a long period of time in the cockpit or deadheading in an airliner seat. No pilot enjoys being grounded while their diabetes or heart disease is being stabilized, and the special issuance process takes its time. Sometimes, this entire hassle can be avoided by losing some weight.

There are finally relatively simple protocols for pilots to take a number of medications for weight loss. While these medications were intended to treat diabetes, they have found an important additional niche in the weight loss market. Their use seems to also reduce the risks of heart disease and diabetes. The benefits abound!

Boom Supersonic continues to expand the flight profile and test capabilities of its XB-1 supersonic demonstrator, completing a fifth test flight this week at the Mojave Air & Space Port in California. The flight is the third for the demonstrator in three weeks as Boom ramps up the test program with the goal of reaching Mach 1 before year-end.

Powered by three GE J85 engines producing a combined thrust of 12,300 pounds, the 71-ft-long, two-seat demonstrator first flew on March 22 and notched its second flight on August 26.

Plans call for 10 subsonic test flights before it is to break the sound barrier in upcoming months. In the most recent flight, Boom tested the flutter excitation system, which had been repaired and reinstalled for data collection at the Mach 0.6 flutter point. With chief test pilot Tristan “Geppetto” Brandenburg at the controls, the aircraft underwent flying and handling quality checks at progressively higher test speeds, reaching its fastest speed thus far of Mach 0.69. XB-1 reached 17,800 feet during the 50-minute flight.

The XB-1 program will prove out technologies for Boom’s ambitions to build a 64- to 80-seat supersonic airliner that flies at Mach 1.7. Boom anticipates rolling out the Overture in 2026 with first flight following in 2027 and certification by the end of the decade.

AMAC Aerospace has expanded its maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) network by opening a new facility at its JCB Aero subsidiary’s headquarters at Auch-Lamothe Airport in the southwest of France. A newly refurbished 54,000-sq-ft hangar is now able to accommodate three Airbus or Boeing narrowbody airliners at the same time.

Located close to Airbus’ headquarters in Toulouse, JCB Aero is a specialist in composite structures for aerospace. Its main activity is designing and producing cabin interiors to support AMAC’s VIP completions center in Basel, Switzerland. The Auch facility will offer cabin refurbishment work along with MRO tasks.

The company’s management is now seeking to recruit between 20 and 30 employees to support the expansion into the MRO sector. The extra capacity will complement privately owned AMAC’s extensive facilities in Basel, and its operations in Zurich (aircraft management), Bodrun in Turkey (MRO), and Saudi Arabia (sales).

According to JCB Aero’s chief operating officer, Frédéric Dezauzier, the new Auch facility is about to receive its first aircraft.

Romania-based private air charter start-up Dokia Air has placed a new Dassault Falcon 2000LXS into service to provide transportation to local and regional customers. The aircraft is based in Bucharest.

“This is a big step up for Romanian charter, with a modern, highly capable, and very comfortable business jet,” said Dokia Air CEO Florin Susanu. “The Falcon 2000LXS is the first factory-new aircraft in the country. Its optimized design, reliability, short-field capability, as well as low operating costs, are much appreciated by operators and customers.”

With a 4,000 nm range, the Falcon 2000LXS connects all major European city pairs and routes to the Middle East and North Africa non-stop. The charter company expects flights to the Greek islands to be popular in summer and to ski locations in Austria, France, Italy, and Switzerland in winter.

“Dassault Aviation’s unique DNA was also part of the final selection decision,” Susanu said. “Inherited from its military experience, the company has always integrated the most advanced technological features into their business aircraft, bringing more safety, reliability, and passenger comfort.”

Precision Aviation Group (PAG) has completed its acquisition of Icon Aerospace and TAG Aero, further expanding its portfolio of maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) services for avionics and engines.

Indian Trail, North Carolina-based Icon Aerospace repairs and overhauls aircraft avionics, instruments, radios, and other accessories. The repair station has about 150 employees and has FAA, EASA, and CAA approval. TAG, which is based in Rock Hill, South Carolina, is another FAA/CAA/EASA-approved repair station that specializes in repairs of auxiliary power units and employs 60 people. Both Icon and TAG were previously owned by Florida-based investment firm Mill Hill Capital.

PAG noted TAG Aero and Icon customers will now have access to its global network of MRO providers and its “inventory-supported MRO” model, which the company says “ensures increased parts availability, faster turnaround times, and expanded support.”

“Icon and TAG joining PAG significantly bolster our avionics services and engines services businesses with incremental capabilities, which will allow us to better serve our customers with a broader range of repair capabilities,” said David Mast, president and CEO of PAG.

According to PAG, the company now runs 24 FAA-approved repair stations and has more than 1.1 million sq ft of facilities around the world. It employs more than 1,000 people and conducts about 150,000 repairs annually.

Stevens Aerospace and Defense Systems and Peregrine are partnering to develop a supplemental type certificate (STC) for installation of the Gogo Galileo low-earth-orbit (LEO) satcom system in Beechcraft King Air 200 and 300 twin turboprops. The STC will include installation of Gogo’s HDX electronically steered antenna, the smaller of two antennas that Gogo will offer for its upcoming Galileo service that runs on Eutelsat’s OneWeb LEO satellite network.

The Galileo system and HDX antenna can be added to existing Gogo air-to-ground (ATG) connectivity systems (Avance L3, L5, and SCS) “with minimal disruption,” according to Gogo Business Aviation.

The OneWeb LEO network works anywhere in the world (although there are some country restrictions that apply to all satcom networks) and from the ground, without restrictions that prevent ATG systems from operating until a certain altitude is reached. System speed with the HDX antenna is expected to reach up to 60 Mbps download and 11 Mbps upload. Gogo plans to begin Galileo service by the end of this year.

Stevens expects the King Air STC to be issued by the FAA next year so installations can begin in the fourth quarter of 2025. EASA and Transport Canada validations should be available at the same time.