Live data from Hacker News

Airline pilots landing at LAX report “a guy in jetpack” flying alongside them

thedrive.com

91–100 of 486 posts

Re: Airline pilots landing at LAX report “a guy in jetpack” flying alongside them

#91
As amusing as this is, it highlights how fragile air travel is -- someone managed to fly a 200 lb payload within a couple hundred feet of an airliner on final approach. And apparently did so anonymously since there was no mention of who or exactly what it was.

It wouldn't be hard to maneuver it right in front of the airliner and cause a collision. While the aircraft would likely survive an engine strike, at only a few thousand feet of altitude it doesn't give much time to recover.

Re: Airline pilots landing at LAX report “a guy in jetpack” flying alongside them

#92
post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Most of that alien stuff was miscalculating velocities by not taking into account field of view (zoom in/out) changes in the camera.

Are you referring to the documented cases of UFO sightings by the US navy? AFAIK there were also numerous pilot testimonies and radar logs to prove what was happening. Or is it a different case?

Mick West on YouTube has some pretty good explanations behind the UFO sightings by the US Navy.

Here he goes through why the glare rotates while the horizon does not (and recreates the phenomenon): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ka_bX9Hx1H0

Here he highlights the relevant gimbal information on the Navy display that explains the "sudden" movements of the UFO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1di0XIa9RQ&t=251s

He's a retired developer who is now a science writer and skeptical investigator (just to give you an idea of where his expertise/bias may lie)

Re: Airline pilots landing at LAX report “a guy in jetpack” flying alongside them

#93
post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

It is quite admirable. I respect someone able to communicate effectively in a high stakes situation.

I recommend listening to the flight director loops from the Apollo missions. There are thousands of recorded hours available (various places, but try lunarmodule5’s playlists on Youtube, or https://apolloinrealtime.org/ for a museum exhibit style) - including practically the entirety of missions 8 to 13, and most especially try the notorious manual burn of 13 during which everyone sounds like they’re discussing where to have lunch, not undertaking an extraordinarily difficult and dangerous manoeuvre in a crippled spacecraft.

Sometimes I put them on as working background audio, it’s tremendously soothing.

Re: Airline pilots landing at LAX report “a guy in jetpack” flying alongside them

#94
post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is there a reason why the flights are all over water? LAX doesn’t have a body of water surrounding it other then the Pacific Ocean. Is that a requirement for the jet pack?

I'm pretty sure its because falling hundreds of feet into water is more survivable than hundreds of feet into earth or concrete. There are flights, however, over land, but they usually involve a lot of practice and permitting.

>> falling hundreds of feet into water is more survivable than hundreds of feet into earth or concrete.

No, not really - hitting watter as damaging as hitting concrete once you get above 100 feet high. But at least you're not going to kill an unlucky pederastian by falling on them.

Re: Airline pilots landing at LAX report “a guy in jetpack” flying alongside them

#95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

During my Interaction Design master I had to read a paper about the interface design for tools aiding people in these kinds of jobs. The designers spent a lot of time observing them at work and concluded that one specific feature of this work environment was that it doesn't have a "normal" situation and "emergency" situation, it's a non-stop juggling of emergencies all the time . Which I guess is part of why they sta…

Would you be able to provide a link to the paper? Sounds like an interesting read.

It may well be this classic from my old office colleague https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5&q=Rich...

Re: Airline pilots landing at LAX report “a guy in jetpack” flying alongside them

#96
post #20

Earlier 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.)

"in a jetpack" is just a colloquial way of saying "wearing a jetpack". other examples of this type of language include:

"Do you see that man in the suit over there?"

"the suspect in body armor was described as being 6 feet tall."

"man in an orange shirt" is the title of a popular pbs show.

etc etc etc.

Re: Airline pilots landing at LAX report “a guy in jetpack” flying alongside them

#97
post #17

ATCs 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."

> Another pilot chimed in: "Only in LA."

The SR71 radio speed check was in LA too.

  I heard a Cessna ask for a readout of its ground speed. 
    '90 knots Center replied.
  Moments later,a Twin Beech required the same.
   '120 knots' Center answered.

  We weren’t the only ones proud of our ground speed that day
  as almost instantly an F-18 smugly transmitted:
   'Ah, Center, Dusty 52 requests ground speed readout.'
  There was a slight pause, then the response, 
   '620 knots on the ground, Dusty.'

  As I was thinking to myself how ripe a situation this was, 
  I heard a familiar click of a radio transmission coming from my 
  back-seater. It was at that precise moment I realized Walt and I 
  had become a real crew, for we were both thinking in unison.

   'Center, Aspen 20, you got a ground speed readout for us?'
  There was a longer than normal pause
   'Aspen, I show 1,942 knots.'

  No further inquiries were heard on that frequency.

https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/sr-71-blackbird-pilot...

Re: Airline pilots landing at LAX report “a guy in jetpack” flying alongside them

#98
post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Stakes are higher when you're on the plane...

Negative. Pilots only ever have to worry about one plane. ATCs have to worry about all of them.

Yes, but it’s like the difference between the chicken and the pig at breakfast.

Re: Airline pilots landing at LAX report “a guy in jetpack” flying alongside them

#99
post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is truly one of my favorite aviation stories of all time and reread it anytime it gets linked here. Not sure why you are downvoted, it's the most relevant and humorous explanation of the calm, professional ATC "Houston Center" voice out there.

I haven't downvoted it personally, because I would really really really love it to be true - but it's been "debunked"(if you can call it that). I suspect some of it is true - but not exactly as told. https://np.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/8x5ndw/til_wh...

This is one of those cases where I try not to let the facts get in the way of a good story...

Re: Airline pilots landing at LAX report “a guy in jetpack” flying alongside them

#100
post #17

ATCs 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?”

Incidentally, do pilots say left and right? They don't have a special word (port / starboard) like naval vessels?

Yes, pilots say left/right, although it is more common to use clock positions for that.

For example "traffic 3 o'clock" means there is someone on you right.

Port/starboard is not used in aviation and I don't know of any equivalent besides left/right.

Post reply on HN