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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

#331

Post by giancarlostoro »

Johnny555 wrote: post #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 fe…

I have thought about how fragile airport security is anytime I drive to an airport. Its almost like we are wasting money on TSA but like... The airstrips only guarded from public roads by a fence that I cant imagine takes much effort to get past.

Others have also mentioned its not impossible to weaponize a laptop battery. Hell get enough cell phones on board?

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

#332

Post by outworlder »

macjohnmcc wrote: post #240
dgritsko wrote: post #202

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thank you for posting this. Everyone has their "where were you" story from that horrific day, but I never get tired of hearing them for some reason. Hard to believe it's nearly been two decades - I can still almost feel the chill in the air of that morning, it was an absolutely perfect fall day on the East Coast.

Yeah it is impossible to forget. My wife at the time and I got a call waking us from a friend telling us to turn on the news. It was all surreal from that moment on. The second plane may have just hit the second tower by the time we turned on the TV and they didn't know quite what happened yet.

I am not even from the United States and I got a call to turn on the TV.

That was before the second plane. I couldn't believe it. We did have access to US channels and the reporters appeared to be confused when the second plane hit and thought it was a replay.

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

#334

Post by outworlder »

bewaretheirs wrote: post #142
natcombs wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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."

Not ATC but here's a classic viral recording of a frazzled ground controller herding cats at JFK airport in NY: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BMDkwfkXv0

A couple of years ago there was bad weather just before the oshkosh air show. Which is the largest in the USA.

When the weather cleared, EVERYONE flew in. It was chaos.

I am unable to find the recording, but ATC was like "high wing, low wing, if you have a wing, turn left"

https://www.reddit.com/r/flying/comments/910sge/the_adsb_at_...

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

#335

Post by bb611 »

LinuxBender wrote: post #296

Every inch of that airport and all runways are covered by video cameras, many of them. There should be no ambiguity here. Let's hope they release the footage.

Listening to the recording, this is something pilots saw on 10 mile final approach at ~3000 feet. There is not going to be any airport video of this.

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

#336

Post by topynate »

sandworm101 wrote: post #281
sudosysgen wrote: post #225

Earlier quoted context omitted.

a 400N jet engine is now only 6000$. Building a wing with a TWR > 1.0 would only cost about 18 000$ in engines, which is really not that much.

You don't need a TWR anywhere near 1.0. You need that to take off vertically, but if you are willing to jump out of a helicopter you can probably get away with TWRs closer to 0.35 to maintain level flight.

You could use droppable skids or wheels for takeoff, if you don't mind enduring flight at, what, 60 knots at least, in ground effect, with your nose about a foot away from the runway. I can't imagine any sane person doing that, but this guy would probably have had the time of his life.

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

#337

Post by CWuestefeld »

supernova87a wrote: post #199
sharkweek wrote: post #33

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.

Speaking of, and coming up on the anniversary in September, here is a description of what a passenger experienced in a plane on that day: "On 9/11, I was listening to Ch. 9. I was on a flight out of ORD to AZ (757) seated in 5F. We had just taken off and where climbing to cruise. A flight out of Rockford, IL was squeezing between us and the UA in front of us. I watched as he lined up to get on the highway westbound.…

A friend of mine had just been married in Europe, and was in the air over the Atlantic on the way to his honeymoon in Hawaii when this happened. His plane was diverted to somewhere in Canada (New Foundland?), and he got to spend his honeymoon in a school gym on cots.

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

#338

Post by outworlder »

mark-r wrote: post #85
bityard wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

ATCs rarely have to worry about dying in the accident.

> ATCs rarely have to worry about dying in the accident.

ATC can have a larger stake than any single pilot. Consider a mid air collision scenario, for instance.

They will handle more lives daily than a pilot. Don't dismiss it.

ATC involved in incidents can suffer from severe PTSD.

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

#339

Post by medion »

elteto wrote: 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?”

I was surprised by the use left/right for comms and not port/starboard - is that normal in the aircraft space? I guess it must be.

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

#340

Post by Stratoscope »

quacked wrote: post #309
alfalfasprout wrote: post #250

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, ground controllers are notorious for being constantly annoyed... and I can't blame them. When they're on tower duty it's less common.

Can you expand a little bit? I thought all ATC that talked to planes were in the towers.

A tower controller at an airport talks to planes in the air as they arrive and depart. They are in the tower so they can see the planes visually, and may also have radar available.

Ground control also works in the tower, after all they have to be able to see the airport taxiways. They may also have a separate ground radar. They are only talking to planes on the ground.

At a busy airport, these will be separate individuals working each of these duties.

At a less busy airport, or during quieter hours, the same controller may work both tower and ground simultaneously.

There are also "center" controllers who work in the enroute traffic centers. They are not in towers and often not at any airport, as they talk with planes at altitude and work by radar and voice communication, not visual.

For example, in a typical departure, you first talk to ground control for taxi clearance and instructions. When you are ready for departure (near but not yet on the runway!) ground will say "contact tower on 123.45" (or whatever frequency), and tower will clear you for takeoff. After you've taken off, tower may say "contact center on 124.56" (again, whatever the frequency is).

While you're flying, each center controller will hand you off to a different center (and different frequency) which you cross between the different areas that the different centers cover.

For landing, it's the same thing in reverse order: center hands you off to tower as you approach the airport, and after you're on the runway, tower hands you off to ground (who again is up in the tower, but only talking to planes on the ground) for taxi instructions.

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