Jetpack man or guy in a jetpack or Iron Man is an unknown person or object that has been observed flying what appears to be an unauthorized

jetpack A jet pack, rocket belt, or rocket pack is a device worn on the back which uses jets of gas or liquid to propel the wearer through the air. The concept has been present in science fiction for almost a century and became widespread in the 1960s. ...

around the

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

California area at least five times in 2020–21. Multiple airplane pilots have reported seeing jetpack man at altitudes around . It is unknown whether each sighting is the same person, or whether it might be a drone designed to look like a person with a jetpack. Neither jetpacks nor large drones are commonly flown at that altitude or at that distance from land, and there have been no sightings of a takeoff or landing. It has been theorized by the

FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and its principal Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement age ...

and

FAA The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the largest transportation agency of the U.S. government and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in the country as well as over surrounding international waters. Its powers include air traffic m ...

that the Jetpack man is actually a balloon.

Sightings

First sighting

On August 30, 2020, two different airline pilots reported seeing a "guy in a jetpack" hovering near LAX at , from the course of planes on a final approach.

''American 1997'': "Tower, American 1997, we just passed a guy in a jetpack... Off the left side, maybe or so, about our altitude." ''Skywest pilot'': "We just saw the guy passing by us in the jetpack."

Second sighting

In November of 2020, a

Los Angeles Police Department The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), officially known as the City of Los Angeles Police Department, is the municipal police department of Los Angeles, California. With 9,974 police officers and 3,000 civilian staff, it is the third-large ...

helicopter crew recorded a video of what appeared to be a balloon of fictional character Jack Skellington. The video was recorded over the Beverly Hills area. A balloon is believed by many to be the explanation for the phenomenon. The behavior of the balloon was similar in the footage to the jetpack man as it had and would later be described. The LAPD only released the footage in November of 2021. The

Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, ...

released a statement on the matter and said: Then adding later on that:

Third sighting

On October 14, 2020, China Airlines 006 reported seeing "a flying object like a flight suit jetpack" at .

Fourth sighting

On December 21, 2020, a pilot and flight instructor with Sling Pilot Academy captured the first video of such a flying object, at around near Palos Verdes and Catalina Island (south of Los Angeles). The academy posted the video to their Instagram account, commenting:

"''The video appears to show a jet pack, but it could also be a drone or some other object. If it is a ‘guy in a jet pack’ then it remains to be seen whether it is a legal test flight... or related to the jet pack sightings near LAX recently that caused disruptions to air traffic.''"

Fifth sighting

On July 28, 2021, a pilot reported seeing a flying object that looked like a man in a jetpack, roughly off the California coast, at . In air traffic control chatter, the flying object was referred to variously as "the UFO” and “Iron Man”.

''747 pilot'': "Possible jetpack man in sight... about 5000" ... ''LAX Tower'': "Skywest 3626, did you see the... did you see the UFO?" ''Skywest 3626 pilot'': "We were looking but we did not see Iron Man" ''Tower'': "Attention all aircraft, use caution for the jetpack. He is just north of the final, around 5000 at Gate C, last reported" ... ''Other pilot'': "Where'd you say iron man was flying around again?" ''Tower'': "Around 5000, reported by a heavy 74 on a 15-mile final."

References

Unidentified flying objects Culture of Los Angeles {{LosAngeles-stub