FAA Warns Boston-Bound Pilot: ‘Pay Attention. Get Off the iPad’

Boston's Logan International Airport has a reputation for being a tricky airport for takeoffs and landings. Weather conditions, including strong and changeable coastal winds, and a runway design pattern referred to by GBH Boston as a "tic-tac-toe layout" can be challenging for pilots unfamiliar with it.

Overall, the experts say Logan is a safe airport, though it has had its share of mishaps, including planes slipping off the runway and hijackings.

Because Logan International has its challenges, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) wants to be sure pilots of approaching and departing aircraft are paying attention.

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Imagine his surprise when the pilot of Spirit Airlines Flight 1300 heard an FAA air traffic controller's instructions, "Pay attention. Get off the iPad," as he was cruising over Long Island en route from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to Boston Logan International.

Breitbart reported Flight 1300 was crossing Long Island on Tuesday, September 16, "as Air Force One carried President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump, and others to the United Kingdom (UK) for a state visit."

According to Breitbart, flight data found the two planes were flying "parallel to each other eight miles apart."

CBS Boston reported, "Air traffic controllers urgently and repeatedly ordered the pilots to turn away from Air Force One."

"Spirit 1300 turn 20 degrees right, immediately," the air traffic controller ordered, according to recordings from liveatc.net.

When the pilot finally acknowledged the order, the controller responded, "Pay attention. Spirit 1300, traffic off your left wing by six mi – or eight miles, 747. I'm sure you can see who it is. Keep an eye out for him – he's white and blue."

Spirit Flight 1300 landed in Boston a short time later without incident. The FAA said the two planes maintained a safe distance from each other.