(Wikimedia Commons)
Look! Up in the sky!
It’s a bird!
It’s a plane!
It’s… a guy in a jetpack?
Pilots flying into Los Angeles International Airport on Sunday evening reported seeing a man in a jetpack flying at an altitude of around 3,000 feet and about 10 miles from the airport. The first pilot to see the mysterious aviator said he was only about 300 yards away from the plane.
You can hear the exchange of the actual transmission here.
“Tower, American 1997 — we just passed a guy in a jetpack”.
A second pilot also reported seeing a flying apparition in the sky in the same area.
The air traffic controller acknowledged the message and quipped, “Only in LA”.
He then sent a warning to other pilots to use caution when approaching LAX.
While one might think the pilots were seeing things or tired, aviation experts doubt that. Pilots are highly trained and have a great sense of vision and perception. For two pilots on two separate flights to notice the same man in a jetpack gives credibility to the story.
That begs the question. Who was this Rocketeer?
The FAA reached out to the Los Angeles Police Department to investigate it, but after a flyover of the area, the LAPD did not see any flying men.
Jetpack technology has been around for awhile. Anyone old enough to remember will recall the wonder of seeing one at the Opening Ceremonies of the 1984 Olympics. But the technology of jetpacks is limited by two things: altitude and fuel efficiency. Jetpacks can’t get too high off the ground and they can only be in the air for moments at a time. That is what makes this case so perplexing.
Was it actually a jetpack? Was it actually a man?
Maybe it was a drone, balloon or something else?
Was it David Blaine practicing his balloon stunt?
Was it a new military device? Did SpaceX create a new jetpack for their Mars mission? Is there a new tech company that is testing a new device?
Well, if there is one way to find out it’s the Feds. The FBI is now looking into the mystery and is hoping to find answers soon.
While there is some type of levity to the story (not the craziest thing to happen in 2020), there is concern of someone or something drifting into the path of an approaching plane. Pilots already must deal with birds and natural objects, but lately also have to keep an eye for drones, balloons and now…. Jetpacks.