By Alyson Draper ~ Web Editor
Humans have always been fascinated by the unknown because of our ever curious nature being challenged by that which we do not understand. As technology advances and our sensibilities get more and more worn down, it is always a pleasure to indulge ourselves in the primal fear of the unknown when looking for ways to entertain ourselves. I have always found myself to be enchanted by these stories of strange happenings all around the world. From UFO sightings to ghostly possessions, I will be attempting to cover my favorites. Belief is not guaranteed, but fun is.
Starting off this column with the newest story I can, we will be looking at the daring case of the L.A. Jetpack Man.
In December of 2020, a video surfaced of what looked like a man with a jetpack flying within the airspace of the Torrance Municipal Airport. However, this was not the first sighting. The FBI was already investigating sightings that dated back to August of the same year. But after the December sighting, the Jetpack Man seemed to disappear from the airspace, much to the delight of pilots. Until June 30th, 2021, Jetpack man appeared once more, and the pilots were all too aware of what was going on. The audio logs are transcribed here:
Pilot: “American 1997, we just passed a guy in a jetpack.”
ATC: “American 1997, okay, thank you. Were they off to your left side or right side?”
Pilot: “Off the left side, maybe 300 yards or so, about our altitude.”
Other pilot: “We just saw the guy passing by us in the jetpack.”
ATC: “JetBlue 23, use caution, person in a jetpack reported 300 yards south of the LA final, at about 3,000 feet, 10 mile final.”
Pilot: “JetBlue 23, we heard and we are definitely looking.”
Other speaker: “Only in LA.
Leaving pilots and the greater L.A. area baffled, the man descended once more, yet to be seen again (at least as of the writing of this article).
Who is Jetpack man?
Theories have floated around the internet on what or who the Jetpack Man might be. Jetpack technology is not advanced enough to carry a fully grown man up nearly 6,000 ft. in the air. Even if it were, a mere human would not survive at that high of an altitude. The most popular reigning theory with aviators and internet sleuths is the theory that Jetpack man is just a drone with a mannequin attached. But understanding the thought process behind messing with national aviation laws and catching the ire of the FBI is what is truly baffling. Cases like these never come with a clear resolution. Hence, we can only watch and wait to see if Jetpack Man makes his glorious return to the smoggy L.A. skies once more.
Key words: Jetpack Man, L.A., Theory, America, Mystery, Opinion
Sources:
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-12-24/another-jetpack-sighting-lax
