The Region : AirCal Pushes FAA on Tower’s Order

AirCal officials have asked the Federal Aviation Administration why one of their pilots was given short notice to change altitude Friday afternoon when military jets were in the vicinity. Flight 153 was 20 miles from Los Angeles International Airport, en route to San Francisco, when controllers in Palmdale ordered the pilot to reduce his planned ascent from 13,000 to 12,000 feet. When the AirCal pilot leveled the Boeing 737 to 12,000 feet, he spotted three military jets about 1,000 feet above him, said Fred von Husen, AirCal’s senior vice president of operations. “It’s not a situation we’re happy about,” Von Husen said. On Sunday, a FAA spokesman said the incident involving three A-7 Navy fighters is being investigated.