FLORIDA : 150-Day Suspension for Cuban Exile Pilot

A Cuban exile pilot in Miami grounded following a deadly encounter with Cuban MIGs will get his wings back in October. A judge rejected a Federal Aviation Administration attempt to suspend Jose Basulto’s license indefinitely. Instead, Basulto was given a 150-day suspension. He called the ruling justified. Basulto founded Miami-based Brothers to the Rescue, which helps search for rafters fleeing Cuba. He was accused of violating Cuban airspace Feb. 24 when Cuban MIGs shot down two of the group’s planes over the Florida Straits, killing four people. Basulto, whose plane escaped without incident, denies going into Cuban airspace.