What seems to be happening is that some are taking the article about Delta wanting to fly direct from NY to St. P, and are using it to question the legitimacy of Baltia's arrangement with the DOT and Russia for that route. While I find it a little disappointing that all of the due diligence here over the past many months hasn't penetrated the brain of every Baltia investor, it should be taboo to suggest Baltia is no closer to certification than it was a year ago. The plane maintenance is a critical task that must be done before phase III can begin. Baltia hadn't even begun Phase II procedures one year ago (yes they were in phase II but hadn't truly started the process). Now we're nearing phase III.
It's one thing to speculate on what Baltia is or isn't doing, it's another thing to constantly state that Baltia is at a dead end. I think this is where much of smoke's point lies.