Pilot Reports Man in Jetpack More Than 1 Mile Above LA

'We just saw a flying object like a flying suit that’s passing by us'
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 15, 2020 8:28 AM CDT
Pilot Reports Man in Jetpack More Than 1 Mile Above LA
"Tower, American 1997. We just passed a guy in a jetpack," an American Airlines pilot told the control tower after an August sighting.   (Getty Images/Gabriele Maltinti)

Something strange has been happening in the skies over Los Angeles. For the second time in six weeks, commercial pilots have reported seeing a person in a jetpack high above the city. In the latest incident, air traffic controllers warned Wednesday that a pilot preparing to land had seen somebody in a jetpack 6,500 feet up, the Los Angeles Times reports. On Aug. 29, two pilots reported seeing a man in a jetpack near the eastern approach to Los Angeles International Airport at around 3,000 feet. The FAA says the latest sighting was made by a China Airlines crew member around seven miles northeast of the airport, who told controllers: "We just saw a flying object like a flying suit that’s passing by us." The FAA says it is investigating the incidents and has notified local law enforcement.

Unless a new superhero—Endangering Aviation Man?—has taken to the skies, the high-altitude sightings are very mysterious, the New York Times notes. Most jetpacks can't go that high or fly for more than a few minutes, though the Jetpack Dubai team said it set a new record earlier this year when one of its pilots got to almost 6,000 feet from a standing start. California-based JetPack Aviation says its jetpack, which is not for sale to the general public, can reach up to 15,000 feet, though its CEO finds it hard to believe that the pilots actually saw somebody in a jetpack. "How is it that nobody saw them take off and land? That’s what I don’t understand," David Mayman tells CBS Los Angeles. "These machines are pretty noisy." (More jetpack stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X