“Jet Pack Guy” has struck again.
Although there have been reports of a jet packer flying around near Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), no one’s ever gotten proof — until now.
A video has emerged that was “taken during an instructional flight from Sling Pilot Academy in the training area off Palos Verdes,” The Drive reported.
“One of the pilots involved in the bizarre incident told The War Zone that they were flying along their route in the practice area between Palos Verdes and Catalina Island when they caught what appeared to at least resemble a guy in a jet pack flying towards them in the opposite direction at about 3,000 feet. The object passed along the right side of their aircraft and kept going until it was out of sight.”
See the incredible video here.
“A guy flying out over the ocean in a jet pack at around 3,000 feet, especially one without any lifting surfaces, is a puzzling proposition, to say the least. Jet packs that do exist have very short ranges and are not equipped to be flying in dense airspace, especially thousands of feet in the air,” The Drive wrote. “It is possible that this is some sort of a drone dressed up to look like a guy in a jet pack.”
It’s not the first time. In October, a jet packer (or drone?) was spotted near LAX — flying at more than a mile in the air.
The Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement to USA Today that “a China Airlines crew reported seeing what appeared to be someone in a jet pack at an approximate altitude of 6,000 feet, about seven miles northwest of Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) around 1:45 p.m. Wednesday. The FAA alerted local law enforcement and will look into the report.”
In air traffic control recordings reported by ABC News, someone can be heard asking about the report, saying, “Flying object? Was it a UAV [Unmanned Aerial Vehicle] or was it a jet pack?”
“There was a jet pack reported about seven miles west of you. There’s no way you can go and check that out can you?” another person in the recording says.
It’s unclear if the jet-packer is the same person seen flying around the airport on Aug. 30. An airline pilot landing at LAX that day reported seeing “a guy in a jetpack” flying about 300 yards off his plane’s wing—at an altitude of 3,000 feet.
The pilot was on his final approach to the busy airport and was about 10 miles from the tarmac.
The American Airlines pilot radioed in his sighting to the flight control tower: “Tower, American 1997, we just passed a guy in a jetpack.”
“American 1997, OK, were they off to your left side or right side?” the air traffic controller asked.
“Off the left side, maybe 300 yards or so, about our altitude,” the pilot said, FOX-11 reported.
A second pilot also reported seeing the jetpack guy. Fox 11 reported that a Skywest pilot confirmed the sighting.
Related: Jet-Packer Seen Near Los Angeles Airport Again—At 6,000 Feet