The FBI was interested in the reports of several civil aviation pilots who saw an unknown person with a jetpack in the area of Los Angeles international airport. It was flying at an altitude of about one kilometer along the approach route of the aircraft.
The development of technology in recent years has turned individual jetpacks from fiction to reality. But there are no laws and regulations for such flights yet. Photo: The development of technology in recent years has turned individual jetpacks from fiction to reality. But there are no laws and regulations for such flights yet. Photo: EPA
“Dispatcher, this is American Airlines, flight 1997, we just flew past a guy with a jetpack” – this kind of message came to the airport control service on September 1 and was not a hoax. In principle, flights in the area of Los Angeles airport with violation of air traffic rules are not so rare. It was there that the famous Larry Walters, winner of the Darwin prize, flew in 1982. He tied balloons inflated with helium to the chair, hoping to rise 10 meters above the house. He took a rifle with him to shoot balls and thus descend. However, Walters incorrectly calculated the lift of the balloons and quickly took off at an altitude of 4800 meters, hitting the air corridor near the Los Angeles airport, as the pilots flying past reported to the dispatcher. Only 45 minutes later, Walter managed to get down, with the balls tangled in the power lines.
But in the current case, the main intrigue is that nothing is known about the person who flew at a kilometer altitude using a jetpack. At the same time, there is no reason not to trust the information of several pilots, especially since it happened during daylight hours with good visibility.
