US military activity plagues Caribbean flights: Region on edge on land, sky and sea

AMID an escalating stand-off between US and Venezuela since late August, the geopolitical tension continues to reverberate with the threat of military confrontation leaving the Caribbean on edge on land, sky and sea.

On December 16, US warships formed a blockade around Venezuela and GPS jamming has become an element of the conflict, to prevent either side from using GPS-guided technology such as drones and other modern warfare aircraft.

With TT a mere seven miles from Venezuela, civil aviation has been affected and according to reports, flights near TT and Venezuela report GPS signals dropping.

However, speaking to Newsday on December 22, Caribbean Airlines (CAL) chairman Reyna Kowlessar denied that CAL's flights were being affected by the GPS jamming.

She said, "Before each flight leaves, there is a due diligence check before and there is currently no impact to operations regarding any GPS jamming. There is nothing like that on our end. There is currently no impact to CAL. There has been nothing reported."

Speaking to Newsday on condition of anonymity, a CAL pilot with almost a decade experience said the GPS jamming is real but it does not affect safety.

However, he said the inability at times to use GPS to fly in a straight line from point to point affects the duration of flights, essentially making the flight time longer and burning more fuel, which is costing the airline.

He said in the absence of GPS, which offers precise global positioning with detailed data, pilots would use the VOR airways to arrive at their destination. VOR is is an aviation term that stands for very high frequency omni-directional range. It is a short-range radio navigation that pilots use for navigation.

He said pilots would then fly using the "conventional navigation," but this would add more flying time.

"Whereas you may reach New York in five hours, you might take six hours instead. That is how it is affecting flights. There would be delays. It is not affecting safety. We're taking longer to reach the destination."

He said if GPS fails mid-flight, you would "pull the QRH (quick reference handbook) and it would tell you if you within accuracy, you continue the flight path."

On landing without GPS, he said the ILS (instrument landing system) approaches – precision radio-based systems providing pilots with crucial horizontal and vertical guidance for safe landings – would ensure safety is optimised.

The pilot said the more pressing issue is the lack of usage of transponders by some US military aircraft in TT airspace.

Approximately a week ago, a JetBlue Airlines pilot complained to air traffic control in Curacao about US military activity near his flight path.

"We almost had a mid-air collision up here...They don’t have their transponder turned on, it’s outrageous,” the pilot of JetBlue flight 1112 from Curacao to New York said.

The CAL pilot told Newsday it was dangerous for US military aircraft to be operating without transponders turned on.

"They are flying in our airspace. They're saying they will be responsible for traffic. They're supposed to be in communication but I'm not sure they are," he said.

He said sometimes they would briefly turn on the transponder and you would see a target but would not know the altitude of the aircraft.

He said airplanes use the Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) which gives specific guidance mid-flight to avoid traffic. He said the TCAS would give the ideal adjustment to avoid collision if the transponder of the other aircraft is on.

In the absence of that information, it could spell disaster.

"This is the danger with airplanes not having the transponder on.

"The military should work with out air traffic controls – they're supposed to."

He noted a January 29 mid-air crash over the Potomac River in Washington DC, involving a US military Black Hawk helicopter and a commercial airline. All 67 people aboard both aircraft were killed. The US government recently accepted liability for the fatal crash.

According to reports, the helicopter had its automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) system turned off.

According to Airservices Australia, ADS-B is an air traffic surveillance technology that enables aircraft to be accurately tracked by air traffic controllers and other pilots without the need for conventional radar.

A source at Air Traffic Control agreed that the GPS issues was not really affecting the flights. However, he said the use of transponders was more crucial.

He said US military aircraft, even if they switch off their transponder, are supposed to give a general location they are operating in, but they are not.

"It's a whole sh--show right now," he said.

"If something happens, the controller gonna have to answer questions."

Asked whether US military aircraft flying without transponders turned on was a cause of concern, Kowlessar said, "Safety, first of all, is paramount to CAL. Our operational team is equipped to manage our routes on a flight-by-fight basis. We will continue to do so.

"As of today, our operations, we see no impact. What we will do is continue to monitor and take the necessary action as we deem fit. Right now there is absolutely no safety issue."

Lutchmedial: US won't jeopardise civil aviation

Retired director general of Civil Aviation Ramesh Lutchmedial, in an interview with Newsday, said the US has been leading the way in aviation safety globally and would not do anything to jeopardise that.

"What they have now is ADS-B. What that does, it broadcasts the aircraft GPS co-ordinates, altitude, heading, speed. They can tell exactly where the aircraft is. ADS-B is slowly replacing conventional radar. If the GPS data is jammed you won't be able to get it.

"The GPS system is owned by the US government. The Russians have a similar system. The Americans, they would not jam GPS system to jeopardise the safety of civil aviation. The Russians may have supplied the Venezuelans with equipment that could jam it."

He noted that on September 1, 1983, the Soviet Union shot down a commercial aircraft from New York to South Korea. Owing to a navigational error, the airplane flew into Soviet airspace and was treated as a hostile aircraft and hit by missiles, killing 246 passengers and 23 crew members. He said since then, GPS technology was given to civil aviation, all to improve safety.

Lutchmedial said he does not believe civil aviation is currently in danger. He said if the situation escalates, an announcement would be made.