Stop Flight Training on Cape Cod
There has been an estimated 500% increase in training flights since 2017.
Stop Flight Training on Cape Cod
There has been an estimated 500% increase in training flights since 2017.
An observed 65 hours of training in ten days...
To put that in perspective - In one summer, Jet Blue transports approximately 25,000 passengers and spends less than 45 hours flying over the Cape...
In recent years, there has been a dramatic increase in plane noise beyond the 3-mile radius of the Cape Cod Gateway airport. We have determined the reason is not an increase in passenger flights, but rather a 500% increase in Part 121 sponsored flight training on Cape Cod since 2017 (FlightAware - Flight Tracker / Flight Status).
According to Cape Air's website (Cape Air Pilots | Requirements) pilot trainees must be enrolled with either American Airlines' Republic Airlines Lift Academy (Flight Programs | LIFT Academy)
or with one of the Jet Blue Gateway Programs (JetBlue Gateways) to be eligible for the Cape Air flight training program on Cape Cod (LIFT students begin training to become Cape Air pilots in Hyannis, MA). The students are then trained by Cape Air (Training | United States | Cape Air Pilot Careers) and returned to JetBlue or American/Republic after fulfilling a brief commitment to Cape Air.
After a preliminary review on tracking websites like (Flightradar24: Live Flight Tracker - Real-Time Flight Tracker Map), the non-passenger training flights occur on average of 7 hours per day, or upwards of 2,555 hours per year. To put that in perspective, Jet Blue transported approximately 25,000 passengers through Cape Cod Gateway Airport in Summer 2023 on their E-190, which with 100 passengers per flight, on 250 flights and a 10-minute residential overflight equates to less than 45 hours of fly time over the Cape per year.
While Cape Air's flight training has increased by an estimated 500% since 2017, Cape Air is now cancelling passenger flights (Cape Air Cancels 6 Months of Provincetown Flights - The Provincetown Independent). According to the Town of Barnstable's Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, the airport has also seen a dramatic decline in passenger enplanements, from 200,000 in 2017 down to 30,000 total passengers in 2023 (Town of Barnstable - Finance Division) and an airport revenue drop of 5.6 million in FY 23 to an expected deficit of 1.6 million in FY25.
Is flying a thing of the past, or can people not find a flight because Cape Air is too busy training other company's pilots? (Nantucket Current | Southern Airways Looks To Fill Void Left By Cape…)
With our existing groundwater concerns and our fragile ecosystem - Cape Cod is not the place for large commercial sponsored flight training operations. As residents and community members, we are calling on the respective airlines, the towns and the county to take strides to stop all Part 121 (large commercial) sponsored flight training on Cape Cod or terminate the leases for the participating carriers.
A typical training day on Cape Cod...
Get Involved
As residents and community members we are calling for all Part 121 (large commercial) sponsored flight training to stop on Cape Cod or terminate the leases for the participating carriers. Please get in touch and sign our petition today!