I've always been of the belief that a jetpack could never exist until flame-proof pants/trousers were made first.
Jetpacks have been around for years, tons of youtube videos of people flying them. You can even buy one.
Airline pilots landing at LAX report “a guy in jetpack” flying alongside them
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Re: Airline pilots landing at LAX report “a guy in jetpack” flying alongside them
#32ATCs have a reputation for never losing their cool and that really shines through here: “Tower, there’s a guy in a jetpack flying outside.” “Copy. To your left or your right?”
There are youtube videos of ATC recordings (with transcripts) of pilots losing their cool. You are right, I don't think any ATC lost their cool in any of the recordings I've listened to.
This quote from the article made me smile:
>> Another pilot chimed in: "Only in LA."
Re: Airline pilots landing at LAX report “a guy in jetpack” flying alongside them
#33ATCs have a reputation for never losing their cool and that really shines through here: “Tower, there’s a guy in a jetpack flying outside.” “Copy. To your left or your right?”
I listened to the audio book of “The Only Plane in the Sky” (do recommend), and they played real recordings of ATCs on 9/11 as the planes were hitting buildings.
It was surreal listening to them talk about the catastrophe but all while maintaining a total sense of calm.
Re: Airline pilots landing at LAX report “a guy in jetpack” flying alongside them
#34Earlier quoted context omitted.
Even if it's not Rossi, whose design has been years in the making, I think a copycat is most likely here. Rossi's wing operates at 4000+ feet and 189mph, which is comparable to jets slowing down on long final. Those hobby jet engines are very expensive but off the shelf, and anyone can build a wing in their garage. The FAA would classify it as an aircraft (already has), and would like to talk to this operator. I thin…
It is also odd that they said "in a jetpack" rather than wearing or riding on/under a jetpack. Might this also be a very small but conventional aircraft? Might it be a mannequin mounted inside a smaller drone? Size gets distorted in these situations. (FYI those hobby jets are one option, but there are considerably more capable small jets available, mostly used for cruise missiles and heavy drones.)
Yeah, that's plausible too.
Re: Airline pilots landing at LAX report “a guy in jetpack” flying alongside them
#35I don't think there's any question the pilots would describe it as "a guy in a jetpack" if they weren't sure that's what they were looking at. Spotting traffic around the plane is part of pilot training. With that being said, if it zipped by the plane very quickly, there's the possibility it was maybe a very large RC plane shaped like a guy in a jetpack, which I think could be a bit more plausible.
I wonder about this. If he was off the wing, could the pilots actually see him with their own eyes? Off the wing tip is actually rather far back on a modern airliner. Pilots wouldn't leave the cockpit to look during approach. I have to assume these were reports passed on by people in the cabin. If so, where are the pictures?
Not “off the wingtip”, the phrasing is “off the left side, maybe 300 yards or so”. Probably means captain on the left seat saw it.
Re: Airline pilots landing at LAX report “a guy in jetpack” flying alongside them
#36>> They are also very high-profile in nature and require a mothership to launch from, such as a helicopter, or at least a very high point to leap from. No. Yves "Jetman" Rossi's design can now launch from a standing position on the ground. It is able to launch, hover, transition to forward flight and zoom-climb to several thousand feet. Other than the landing, which is currently still via parachute ... ironman.
Even if it's not Rossi, whose design has been years in the making, I think a copycat is most likely here. Rossi's wing operates at 4000+ feet and 189mph, which is comparable to jets slowing down on long final. Those hobby jet engines are very expensive but off the shelf, and anyone can build a wing in their garage. The FAA would classify it as an aircraft (already has), and would like to talk to this operator. I thin…
“I’ve got a phone number for you to write down. Are you ready to record it?”
“Uh...no?”
I imagine a jet pack forces some interesting takes on related technology that pilots are used to having access to when in a cockpit.
Re: Airline pilots landing at LAX report “a guy in jetpack” flying alongside them
#37I don't think there's any question the pilots would describe it as "a guy in a jetpack" if they weren't sure that's what they were looking at. Spotting traffic around the plane is part of pilot training. With that being said, if it zipped by the plane very quickly, there's the possibility it was maybe a very large RC plane shaped like a guy in a jetpack, which I think could be a bit more plausible.
I wonder about this. If he was off the wing, could the pilots actually see him with their own eyes? Off the wing tip is actually rather far back on a modern airliner. Pilots wouldn't leave the cockpit to look during approach. I have to assume these were reports passed on by people in the cabin. If so, where are the pictures?
No, I believe what happened is that the "jetpack" was either hovering or flying at low speed, and the airplane flew by it. So the pilots could see it approaching and get a visual on the jetpack before it zipped by the side.
Re: Airline pilots landing at LAX report “a guy in jetpack” flying alongside them
#38I don't think there's any question the pilots would describe it as "a guy in a jetpack" if they weren't sure that's what they were looking at. Spotting traffic around the plane is part of pilot training. With that being said, if it zipped by the plane very quickly, there's the possibility it was maybe a very large RC plane shaped like a guy in a jetpack, which I think could be a bit more plausible.
I wonder about this. If he was off the wing, could the pilots actually see him with their own eyes? Off the wing tip is actually rather far back on a modern airliner. Pilots wouldn't leave the cockpit to look during approach. I have to assume these were reports passed on by people in the cabin. If so, where are the pictures?
The probably passed him. Like a semi truck passing a turned up moped that shouldn't be on the highway (though the semi driver would probably just laugh and not call it in).
Re: Airline pilots landing at LAX report “a guy in jetpack” flying alongside them
#39There is also Richard Browning in the UK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAJM5L9hhBs
Re: Airline pilots landing at LAX report “a guy in jetpack” flying alongside them
#40I'm surprised that there's not a single picture of this from any of the passengers on the landing flight and that ATC didn't seem to confirm it via radar, either.
Passengers don't have a very good field of view compared to the pilots; they may not have seen it.