Airline pilots landing at LAX report "a guy in jetpack" flying alongside them WTF?!?

[MNL Contraband]

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zon...ngside-them-on

"As if 2020 couldn't get any weirder, airline pilots landing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on Sunday, August 30th, reported seeing "a guy in a jetpack" flying about 300 yards off their wing while on final approach to the bustling airport. What makes the reports even stranger is that, like a scene out of The Rocketeer, the airliners were descending through 3,000 feet when jetpack guy showed up next to them."

​Just parse the URL, I'm still not allowed to post links.

https://www.foxla.com/news/airline-p...ing-lax-runway

[Airbubba]

Nothing new at LAX.

On July 2, 1982, Larry Walters (April 19, 1949 – October 6, 1993) made a 45-minute flight in a homemade airship made of an ordinary patio chair and 45 helium-filled weather balloons. The aircraft rose to an altitude of over 15,000 feet (4,600 m) and floated from the point of takeoff in San Pedro, California, into and violating controlled airspace near Los Angeles International Airport. During the landing, the aircraft became entangled in power lines, but Walters was able to safely climb down. The flight attracted worldwide media attention and inspired a later movie and imitators.

Regional safety inspector Neal Savoy was reported to have said, "We know he broke some part of the Federal Aviation Act, and as soon as we decide which part it is, some type of charge will be filed.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawnchair_Larry_flight

[pattern_is_full]

Maybe airbubba can get us the ATC capture. Be interesting to know how far out from which runway.

Report here says it was alpha-alpha one-niner-niner-seven at maybe? about six-and-a-half papa-mike local: https://www.fox2detroit.com/news/air...ing-lax-runway

[0ttoL]

I'm imagining something like this:

You Tube

[Meester proach]

I’d be so busy constantly winding down the next altitude, and speeding up, slowing down, speeding up with ATC there that I don’t think I’d notice

[sangiovese.]

Bet his VNAV is better than the 787 on an LAX arrival

[daved123]

Perhaps he was practicing giving the L/G an up-close eyeball, eliminating any requirement for a low-level tower fly-by....

[FlightDetent]

Flying spanners is what we need!

Hope they still breed them the same:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgSl...outu.be&t=6611

You Tube

[ORAC]

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zon...ngside-them-on

Fox 11 broke the story and has the air traffic control audio clips which you can listen to here. The exchanges went like this according to their report:

American Flight 1997: "Tower, American 1997, we just passed a guy in a jetpack."

Tower: "American 1997, OK, thank you. Were they off to your left or right side?"

American Flight 1997: "Off the left side, maybe 300 yards or so, about our altitude."

Fox 11 reports a Skywest pilot confirmed the sighting:

Skywest Flight: "We just saw the guy passing by us in the jetpack."

Then the tower alerted an incoming Jet Blue flight to the reported hazard:

Tower: "Jet Blue 23, use caution, a person in a jetpack reported 300 yards south of the LA final at about 3,000 feet, 10 mile final."

Jet Blue 23: "Jet Blue 23, we heard and we are definitely looking."

Another pilot chimed in: "Only in LA."

[WHBM]

Originally Posted by ORAC

Tower: "Jet Blue 23, use caution, a person in a jetpack reported 300 yards south of the LA final at about 3,000 feet, 10 mile final."

Gatwick had a (suspected only) drone near the airport, and was disorganised/closed for days.

LAX has someone jetpacking around the approach and ... issues a caution.

[OldLurker]

I guess the difference might be that a guy in a jetpack is likely to have a basic sense of self-preservation and to avoid actual collision; whereas someone with a drone could easily fly it into the path of an aircraft without danger to himself.

[Meester proach]

Major difference is UK authorities had no idea what to do, whereas LA probably had some stinger missiles ready to sort the issue

[Euclideanplane]

The newer generations of engines might have to be tested certified to endure ingestion of more than just frozen chickens.

[dixi188]

Then there's the story of Pink Floyd's flying pig near Heathrow in the '70s.

[Mike Park]

Do you think it could be a drone disguised as someone in a jet pack?

[mnttech]

This showed up today on the Far Side Web page....
In clouds

[568]

MNL Contraband

At least the jet pack pilot was practicing social distancing.
Joking apart this could have been a nasty situation.

[Airbubba]

Originally Posted by pattern_is_full

Maybe airbubba can get us the ATC capture. Be interesting to know how far out from which runway.

According to the attached ATC clip about ten miles out on final for 25L at 3000 feet.

Edited LiveATC audio .zip file that will open on most computers but not most tablets or smartphones.

[WillowRun 6-3]

Los Angeles, you know.....

An all too literal illustration of how people in LA often are said to be "on a journey".

[Sawbones62]

You mean like this?

​​​​​​https://youtu.be/TgACwfl6FBI