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lite.cnn.com - on gopher - inofficial | |
ARTICLE VIEW: | |
Controller scolds Spirit Airlines pilot to ‘pay attention’ to radio | |
calls as Air Force One flies 8 miles away | |
By Alexandra Skores, CNN | |
Updated: | |
3:53 PM EDT, Wed September 17, 2025 | |
Source: CNN | |
A Spirit Airlines pilot was scolded by air traffic control on Tuesday | |
after not immediately responding to a controller’s instructions as | |
Air Force One flew about 8 miles away. | |
The two aircraft were flying parallel over Long Island. Air Force One | |
was flying President Donald Trump to the United Kingdom and Spirit | |
Flight 1300 was flying passengers from Fort Lauderdale to Boston Logan | |
International Airport. | |
“Spirit 1300, turn 20 degrees right,” the New York Center air | |
traffic controller told the pilot, according to audio captured by | |
LiveATC.net | |
After five seconds of no response, the controller radios again. | |
“Pay attention, Spirit 1300. Turn 20 degrees right,” he says. | |
It takes two more attempts to reach the pilot before he responds, | |
acknowledging the right turn. | |
“Spirit 1300 turn 20 degrees right now,” the controller says. | |
“Spirit wings, 1300 turn 20 degrees right immediately.” | |
Spirit Airlines told CNN in a statement the pilots “followed | |
procedures and Air Traffic Control instructions while en route to | |
Boston… Safety is always our top priority.” | |
It’s not clear why the pilot didn’t immediately respond, however, | |
pilots are trained to make their first priority to fly the airplane | |
before communicating. | |
“Spirit 1300, traffic is off of your left wing by eight miles. 747. | |
I’m sure you can see who it is,” the controller says. “Keep an | |
eye out for him, he’s white and blue.” | |
Later, after the Spirit pilot did not respond to another radio | |
instruction, the controller radioed again. | |
“I got to talk to you twice every time,” he says. “Pay attention, | |
get off of the iPad.” | |
Pilots often use tablet devices as an “electronic flight bag” in | |
the cockpit to display information including maps, calculations, | |
terminal procedures and more. | |
The encounter between the two aircraft was first spotted by the account | |
JonNYC on BlueSky. | |
The Federal Aviation Administration noted in a statement they were | |
“aware of social media posts about Air Force One and a Spirit | |
Airlines flight in Boston airspace,” but they said the aircraft | |
stayed the required distance apart. | |
CNN’s Pete Muntean, Karina Tsui and Justin Lear contributed to this | |
report. | |
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