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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

#81

Post by sandworm101 »

martinflack wrote: post #76
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?”

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

Yes. They use left/right. Port/starboard is useful when you have a crew of people running around doing jobs aboard a three-dimensional ship. Pilots are never more than two people sitting in fixed seats facing forwards. It is a much more linear environment than a ship.

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

#82

Post by amarshall »

vanderZwan wrote: post #78
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.

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.

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

#83

Post by dividedbyzero »

bityard wrote: post #79
BurningFrog wrote: post #74

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.

But that one plane has you on it.

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

#84

Post by ahelwer »

rozab wrote: post #47
callumprentice wrote: post #19

I don’t imagine it was these guys but another “Ironman” type flight suit I’ve been following is the tech from https://gravity.co/ - it looks like so much fun although I’m sure it’s much harder to use that the videos suggest.

I think those look really exhausting and unnatural since you have to carry your whole bodyweight on your arms. Seriously, try suspending yourself with your hands on two chair backs. Now imagine doing that for many minutes at a time, while also withstanding heavy vibration and precisely controlling your flight.

Some weight would be supported by aerodynamic effects once you start moving (I've seen videos where they have a squirrel suit-like web between their legs).

Holding yourself up like that is probably comparable in strength/endurance requirements to other sports like rock climbing, which still manage to be very popular. This design has a fitness prerequisite, which is okay. It's probably only the extreme sports crowd that would be interested anyway. If you want to fly, well... better start practicing those chair dips!

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

#85

Post by mark-r »

bityard wrote: post #79
BurningFrog wrote: post #74

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.

ATCs rarely have to worry about dying in the accident.

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

#86

Post by fortran77 »

bdamm wrote: post #60
dghughes wrote: post #24

I've always been of the belief that a jetpack could never exist until flame-proof pants/trousers were made first.

Flame proof pants have been around for years too, in automotive racing.

I need a pair of flame-proof pants when I make a comment on Hacker News!

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

#87

Post by projektfu »

martinflack wrote: post #76
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?”

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

Yep, left, right, up, down, ahead, behind. Although in reference to the parts of the plane you say forward and aft.

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

#89

Post by jimktrains2 »

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?”

Listening to the atc recording of Southwest 1380 incident, the pilot goes "we have an engine failure and I'm told a passenger has been sucked out" there's a pause and ATC goes, with some shock in his voice, "what?" Before the pilot responds, he quickly recovers and goes "it's not important, which runway would you like" and carries on as normal.

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

#90

Post by amarshall »

martinflack wrote: post #76
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?”

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

Pilots tend to not be oriented in any direction other than forward, unlike those aboard a boat who are more likely to be facing all manner of direction and an unambiguous term is needed.
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