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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

#261

Post by bobbean »

filoleg wrote: post #204
blhack wrote: post #196

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In 2020 the sitting US president was impeached, we saw a massive stock market crash, a global pandemic, the worst civil unrest in the US in 50 years, massive wildfires all over california, and are heading into what will almost definitely be a contested election where we won't know who won the most contentious presidential election in the last century likely far past what the inauguration date is supposed to be. I thi…

>we saw a massive stock market crash For this one specifically, i don't really agree, because the index is positive year-to-date, sitting at the historical all-time high right now. Doesn't seem like a massive crash to me, given that it dipped not that badly in the first place and then almost instantly recovered.

So the market didn't crash this year?

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

#262

Post by pc86 »

sandworm101 wrote: post #230
pc86 wrote: post #215

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Airline pilots typically earn their 1500-hour minimum for their license in "small but conventional aircraft" so the odds of them mistaking one for a jetpack is approximately zero.

And I probably have 5000+ hours driving cars. That doesn't mean I don't occasionally confuse one type of road vehicle for another, especially when dealing with odd/rare types.

Would they confuse two particular models of twin-engine piston Cessna? Maybe (but still, probably not).

Will they confuse a seaplane for a blimp? No.

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

#263

Post by jcrawfordor »

sudosysgen wrote: post #188
CobrastanJorji wrote: post #181

Earlier quoted context omitted.

On the contrary, you need to defend the entire length of the track at all times from an enemy who can destroy any small part of it at any time and then just leave the scene to try again later. Yes, it takes much more effort than a driver just deciding to go on a rampage, but against a determined adversary the train is at a huge disadvantage.

Derailing a train is an ordeal, though, and it's fairly easy to surveil against it. I'm fairly certain just blowing up the locomotive is less effort against modern networked rails.

Interference with railroad property, primarily oriented towards theft and even hijacking trains, was a very serious problem for much of railroad history. Ongoing issues with everything from train robberies to theft of the actual rails is what lead to major railroads forming some of the first nationwide law enforcement organizations. The FBI, for example, was directly modeled on the Union Pacific Railroad Police.

While train robberies are now decidedly rare, railroad police still exist today to patrol and protect the right-of-way, particularly in cities where theft, vandalism, and interference remains a real safety hazard. While less glamorous than train robbery, a common problem today is the theft of metal from signals, which disables the signals and creates a possible safety hazard.

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

#264

Post by Mountain_Skies »

mcguire wrote: post #234
nl wrote: post #97

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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…

Another apocryphal story: A new ATC was working in Houston and got a call from a SR71 coming back to the states through the Gulf of Mexico. The SR71 requested flight level 800. The ATC, thinking someone was joking, said, "If you can get up there, FL800 is yours." The SR71 replied, "Maam, we're coming down to 800."

For those unfamiliar with the terminology, add two zeros to the end of the flight level to get the altitude in feet.

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

#265

Post by sudosysgen »

jcrawfordor wrote: post #263
sudosysgen wrote: post #188

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Derailing a train is an ordeal, though, and it's fairly easy to surveil against it. I'm fairly certain just blowing up the locomotive is less effort against modern networked rails.

Interference with railroad property, primarily oriented towards theft and even hijacking trains, was a very serious problem for much of railroad history. Ongoing issues with everything from train robberies to theft of the actual rails is what lead to major railroads forming some of the first nationwide law enforcement organizations. The FBI, for example, was directly modeled on the Union Pacific Railroad Police. Whil…

Agreed. It was decidedly a big problem in the past.

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

#266

Post by dpifke »

Waterluvian wrote: post #36
imglorp wrote: 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…

“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.

For the non-pilots: if ATC gives you a phone number to call after you land, it means you really screwed up. (It's the number for the supervisor, who is thinking about filing a "pilot deviation report" with the FAA.)

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

#267

Post by smachiz »

jimktrains2 wrote: post #220
smachiz wrote: post #133

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Amazing professionalism - and the whole thing is worth a listen to, but there wasn't any shock - he didn't even mention it, just presumably updated the medical team he was sending to the runway. https://youtu.be/FkVTdvcghHc?t=377

https://youtu.be/cnSizWZVyD4?t=387 at 6:50ish in this one at responds. "You said there is a hole and someone went out? It doesn't matter, we'll work it out. The airport is just off your right." I guess it's not as "shocked" or "in disbelief" as I remember it being the first time I listened to it. (I vividly remember the first time I heard this, hence why I had to go look for it or figure out what I was remembering.)

still - apologies for suggesting you misremembered, I didn't realize my version was abridged!

Thanks for the link with more of the audio - there's definitely at least a tinge of disbelief!

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

#268

Post by philwelch »

GuB-42 wrote: post #153
chrisseaton wrote: post #127

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Port/starboard is not used in aviation Some things seem to have been carried over though - you still almost always board an aircraft from the port side, don't you? And port/left is still a red light, and starboard/right is still a green light, on aircraft. A good way to remember all this is 'port is red and is passed to the left'.

A lot has been carried over. The alphabet (alpha, bravo, charlie,...), units (nautical miles and knots). Right of way rules are similar sailplanes have priority over powered aircraft, otherwise the one on the right has priority and in case of a face to face, you should turn right (or go up/down, but certainly not left) They didn't completely reinvent navigation for aircraft and a lot of carry over is expected. I'd sa…

Phonetic alphabet is more a radio convention than a navigational convention, and is also used by terrestrial radio users (ie military). Alfa/bravo/charlie was adopted as a NATO standard in the 1950’s; during WWII the US and U.K. used the able/baker/charley phonetic alphabet. And I think aviation adopted the NATO standard before maritime radio.

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

#269

Post by sudosysgen »

throwanem wrote: post #54
anderiv wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

ATC primary radar can’t resolve objects that small, and the jetpack-person was unlikely to have the requisite transponder to make it visible to secondary.

And you'd need a very long lens to get a worthwhile shot of a human-sized object a fifth of a mile (~300 yards, so ~900 feet, ~0.3km) away. No phone camera can come anywhere close. I do actually own a lens that could do it. Extended to full 500mm focal length and mounted on a camera body, the whole package is about three feet (0.9m) long. That's a lot to wrestle in economy class, especially if you're not in the windo…

In theory, a sharp enough crop body and a 300mm lens could do it. But yes, you really do need a good lens.

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

#270

Post by DonHopkins »

princekolt wrote: post #18

I 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.

Not to be confused with a flying cat.

https://www.dw.com/en/the-dead-cat-drone-with-an-eco-message...

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