Buttigieg dishes on dust-up with Elon Musk over Hurricane Helene: There was an issue with pilots

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg shed light on the call between him and SpaceX founder Elon Musk last week to clear the air on the tech guru’s public complaints that the government was hamstringing his company from helping Hurricane Helene victims.Musk, 53, had taken to X, with allegations that the Federal Aviation Agency was blocking flights into storm-ravaged parts of North Carolina, prompting a response from Buttigieg, 42, who told the billionaire to give him a ring.

“He took me up on that.He called.

We had a conversation.What we found out was actually happening was the FAA was not closing down any airspace,” Buggieg recalled on MSNBC’s “Inside with Jen Psaki.”“But there was an issue with pilots who were helping get Starlink equipment to where it needed to be, having the right information.

We worked that with local authorities and were able to take care of it.”After their call, Musk took to X and conveyed gratitude to Buttigieg for helping his team smooth over the hiccups it had encountered.“Thanks for expediting approval for support flights.Just wanted to note that Sec Buttigieg is on the ball,” Musk wrote on X.Initially, Musk posted a screenshot of a messaging exchange he had with someone who appeared to suggest the government was “about to shut down the Air space to ‘regulate’ the private choppers we are riding in to deliver Starlink and supplies.”Musk’s SpaceX company has been active in sending satellite terminals to its Starlink network system in hopes of connecting hurricane-battered regions to the internet to better coordinate recovery efforts.

Ivanka Trump helped deliver some of those terminals last week.Prior to the call on Friday, Buttigieg originally responded to Musk on X, writing, “No one is shutting down the airspace and FAA doesn’t block legitimate rescue and recovery flights.”Buttigieg explained on Sunday that the FAA has been utilizing temporary flight restrictions in the disaster zone as it has do...