Aircraft developer Hermeus earlier this week broke ground for a hypersonic engine and flight test facility at Jacksonville (Florida) Cecil Airport (KVQQ). To become Hermeus’ largest and most technologically advanced site, the High Enthalpy Air-Breathing Test (HEAT) facility is anticipated to be the initial base for Hermeus’ high-Mach flight tests beginning in 2026.

Plans call to build the facility in stages, with it ready for initial sea-level static engine tests before year-end. Hermeus is investing $135 million in the project, which is expected to culminate in 100 jobs being created. Hermeus celebrated the milestone during a ceremony at KVQQ with company executives and employees, as well as federal, state, and local dignitaries.

As the name implies, the HEAT facility will provide continuous high flow rate, high enthalpy, and low-pressure conditions required for upper supersonic and lower hypersonic flight modeling. This will enable Hermeus to test hypersonic technologies for both the Department of Defense and commercial partners.

Various engines and propulsion subsystems will be tested, from a Pratt & Whitney F100 engine to Hermeus’ hypersonic Chimera engine. Company executives also expect the location to serve as a flight test site.

Hermeus is aiming for service entry of Halcyon, its 20-passenger Mach 5 aircraft, in the next decade.

No one should buy a used aircraft on the fly. But that does not mean the parties cannot, or should not, move quickly and efficiently to close a purchase. Some prospective purchasers treat buying an aircraft as if it is just like acquiring real estate, a car, or a boat. However, those purchases do not trigger similar complex and intersecting regulatory, liability, tax, risk management, financing/leasing, and technical equipment issues.

Sometimes trying to pace or schedule an aircraft purchase from any point in the deal continuum to closing seems more aspirational than practical. After more than four decades of practicing law, it seems no deal is the same; no deal is “simple;” and few purchases occur without external factors complicating decisions such as the U.S. presidential election, turbulent geopolitics, or economic conditions. How, then, does a purchaser start this buying journey, and what should the purchaser expect to happen?

Aviation buy/sell teams sometimes feel pacing to a closing is tantamount to racing to a deadline, often dictated by an APA and motivated by the parties’ lofty expectations or flight schedule. When a purchaser experiences the buy/sell teams’ concurrent and sequential efforts to sell/buy an aircraft, they often tell me the purchase transaction and issues are more complicated than expected.

The Barkley Regional Airport Authority (BRAA) in Paducah, Kentucky, has issued an RFP for its lone FBO at Barkley Regional Airport (KPAH) because the lease for incumbent Midwest Aviation is due to expire. According to executive director Dennis Rouleau, the airport authority wishes to evaluate market interest in the location before it awards its next long-term lease for the facility, which includes a 5,300-sq-ft terminal and 31,000 sq ft of hangar space that can handle up to midsize business jets.

Rouleau added that BRAA is in the process of a multi-million-dollar renovation of the facility that includes updating both the exterior and interior of the FBO offices, as well as adding additional customer amenities such as a conference room, pilot quiet room, and shower. In addition, the authority is planning to replace the existing fuel farm’s 20,000-gallon jet fuel and avgas tanks with a pair of 12,000-gallon jet-A tanks and one 8,000 avgas tank, the latter of which will include self-serve capability. It expects the project to be completed by year-end.

The RFP window will close at 3 p.m. on October 31. Midwest Aviation, which has operated the FBO for nearly 40 years, informed AIN that it will indeed be among those submitting proposals.

The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association is urging the FAA to block the use of ADS-B tracking technology by third parties to assess fees based on aircraft movements—a practice the trade group says “raises many concerns, including violation of privacy, and violation of federal grant obligations by public airports.”

In a September 12 letter to FAA Administrator Michael Whitaker, AOPA president and CEO Mark Baker said the agency should prevent third-party use of ADS-B data for purposes other than optimizing ATC safety and efficiency. Baker alleged “that the practice of using automated processes to impose additional fees on pilots undermines the vital flight training industry and will further discourage pilots from equipping with ADS-B or cause pilots to cut back on flying.”

More recently, Congress expressly prohibited the FAA from using ADS-B data to investigate the actions of airmen in the 2024 FAA Reauthorization Act, Baker noted, though third parties are finding other uses for the data. “For example, an increasing number of airports, including many that are grant-obligated, are using or plan to use ADS-B data to identify aircraft so that airports can charge pilots landing fees.” AOPA recently reported on fees proposed by certain Florida airports that it said could “devastate” one of the most important flight training regions in the country if they are implemented.

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The UK is expanding its list of countries whose citizens must obtain an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) before visiting, including those from the U.S. An ETA is required for individuals with passports from countries that do not need a visa to enter the UK. It grants permission to travel to or through the UK and is electronically linked to the passport of the applicant.

This change is being rolled out in phases, with different countries being added to the requirement at various times. Since February, travelers from several Middle Eastern countries have been required to obtain an ETA. On Tuesday, the UK expanded the list of countries subject to the ETA. Travelers from these nations can begin applying online in November. By April 2, 2025, most international visitors who are exempt from needing a visa will require an ETA to enter the UK.

An ETA allows a traveler to stay in the UK for up to six months for “tourism, visiting family and friends, business or short-term study.” It does not allow visitors to engage in “paid or unpaid work for a UK company or as a self-employed person; claim public funds; or live in the UK through frequent or successive visits.”

The application process usually takes less than three days and costs £10, and the ETA is valid for two years.

Jet Out is expanding its operations, including a new Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport (KFLL) base with two brand-new Cessna Citation twinjets and the construction of a private terminal at Waukesha County Airport (KUES).

”Jet Out is excited to announce that its local-national fleet is now serving South Florida,” said Jet Out CEO Joseph Crivello. “With a national network of airplanes that are locally based near common destinations for our fleet, Jet Out can support our clients in a much more personal and efficient way than any national competitor that relies on the floating fleet model.”

Jet Out’s new Florida location marks the company’s first expansion outside the Midwest. Located in Sheltair Aviation at KFLL, the Florida base will include two Citation CJ4 Gen2s.

The company is constructing a 22,000-sq-ft private terminal at KUES in Waukesha, Wisconsin, designed to serve the company’s co-owners and charter customers.

“We're committed to creating a facility that not only meets the needs of our customers but also enhances their experience,” said Jet Out COO Matt Wild. “By prioritizing operational efficiencies in the facility’s design, we can achieve environmental sustainability while reducing costs. From energy-efficient heating and cooling systems to thoughtful layouts that streamline your journey through the terminal, our goal is to provide a more comfortable, convenient, and sustainable private aviation experience.”

Recently published FAA Advisory Circular AC 25.933-1 provides guidelines for large aircraft manufacturers to comply with updated safety regulations aimed at preventing dangerous thrust reversals during flight. The document stems from recent amendments to FAA Part 25 airworthiness regulations that take effect September 24 and require system safety assessments for key systems such as flight controls and powerplants.

It also highlights the increased risk of unwanted reverser deployments in modern aircraft. “As the predominant configuration of large transport-category airplanes has developed into a high-bypass-ratio twin-engine-powered models, recovery from an unwanted in-flight thrust reversal have decreased,” the circular says.

New regulations require reversers and other systems to be designed so that “the occurrence of any failure condition that would prevent the continued safe flight and landing of the airplane is extremely improbable.” Other failure conditions also could not reduce the capability of the airplane or the ability of the crew to cope with them.

While the Part 25 amendments seek to limit the effect or likelihood of an unwanted thrust reversal during flight, “service experience has shown the need to further amend requirements. The currently amended rule, and this related advisory material, are intended to allow manufacturers to provide assurance in a manner that recognizes there may be limitations in the airplane design, thereby maximizing both the design flexibility and safety provided by compliance with the rule.”

A consortium of aviation business services providers is partnering on the launch of a survey designed to help shape the future of the FBO industry. The companies—service provider advisory Airside FBO, aviation real estate facilitator Business Aviation Group, and Miami-based software solutions developer X-1FBO—hope to gain confidential feedback from FBO owners, executives, and general managers on a variety of crucial topics such as operations, fuel management, and revenue strategies.

To encourage participation the group is offering several prizes, including a $500 Amazon gift card. The survey window closes October 4 and the results will be shared at the NATA FBO Success Seminar in Nashville, Tennessee, on October 8 and 9.

“The 2024 FBO Pulse Survey is a chance for FBOs to share their unique challenges and opportunities,” X-1FBO CEO Jim Wiley told AIN. “As the industry changes faster than ever—and the world around us at an even greater pace—this survey helps us understand and communicate these shifts and how we're adapting to them. By FBOs contributing their real-world insights and experiences, we can track progress, spot trends, and make smarter, data-driven decisions that benefit us all.”