A man flying a jetpack was reported by pilots above Los Angeles - CNN Despite the source, this isn't 'fake news' and it was reported by an AAL pilot at 3000' My thoughts: It's almost certainly either a publicity stunt, or the American Airlines pilot saw something other than a jetpack....perhaps inspired by a bottle-to-throttle rule violation. Maybe a free-range Mylar Iron-man birthday balloon? If it WAS a jetpack, it's a helluva good one, since several sources put the object at around 3000' AGL. I'm not a pilot, and I don't play one on TV...BUT...a wide-body on final at 3000' hasn't put the gear down yet or thrown the boards out - so they're "probably" knocking down 200-300 mph. THIS means if the object in question WAS human guided, then somebody needs to be charged, fined, and fitted out for an ankle monitor.
Met a man that once had access to Tyvek suits, helium, and aluminized Mylar at work. Supposedly, a helicopter with a sharp shooter was sent out from the nearby airport to deal with the result.
Jetpack at about 3000 feet? That means after the two Jets spotted him, he likely went down in flames as these units carry fuel that's typically enough to get up a few hundred feet and then quickly come down. That 3,000' sortie is going to require a really really big spatula cleanup. .
It was reported by more than one air crew. That is my best hope. Flight durations seem to be increasing. A related device was used to cross the English Channel last year, though it did require a mid-trip refueling on a support boat: Franky Zapata: Flyboarding Frenchman crosses English Channel
They'll probably say it in the 60's again..... BUT HOWEVER COMMA..... Progress is being made in both.
Jet Pack Guy spotted again yesterday, this time around 6000 feet: A man flying in a jetpack has been spotted again at LAX - CNN
Must think he's the Green Goblin or just a hover board called the Flyboard Air. It can go up to 93 mph and fly 10,000 feet. Cool but crazy to do in active airspace. The video is from 2018 so it may be a lot better by now. More info: max altitude 9,800 ft, top speed 93 mph, 10 minute endurance @ 225 lbs. zapata's flyboard air claims to be the safest, most maneuverable personal aviation system the flyboard air has been designed to be piloted with little training — having good body balance is what helps control it. in terms of safety, if a turbine fails, one can still keep you flying. if both of them break, the device is able to achieve a controlled descent while the pilot is able to access information on altitude, speed and autonomy levels on his helmet.
That he keeps showing up right by LAX suggests that you don't need to be particularly bright to fly it. About that hover board thing, your center of lift is below your center of mass. If it starts to tip over for any reason it will naturally want to flip over.
That's what active control systems are for. Drone's automatic station keeping, Segways, hoverboards, and those single-wheel transporters right out of the Johnny Hart's 'BC' comic strip, wouldn't work without them.
Followup: Images suggest LA jetpack sightings may have been balloons "The police helicopter photos and video obtained by KNBC were recorded in early November 2020 as the human-size object floated above the Holmby Hills and Beverly Hills areas. The object strongly resembled the Jack Skellington character from the 1993 Tim Burton movie “A Nightmare Before Christmas.”"
