Pilots report "guy in a jet pack" at 3K feet above LAX (2 Viewers)

Like what, though? I’m confused. What would a terrorist with a jet pack be able to do to a passenger jet in flight that he could not do with a small airplane or a helicopter or by just staying on the ground for that matter?

 

Yeah, seems like a waste of jet pack talent. Someone that accomplished at jet-packing probably isn’t signing up to crash their jet packs into planes. This isn’t a two week stint in Florida flight school going to strip clubs at night - this is highly skilled aviation.
 
Yeah, seems like a waste of jet pack talent. Someone that accomplished at jet-packing probably isn’t signing up to crash their jet packs into planes. This isn’t a two week stint in Florida flight school going to strip clubs at night - this is highly skilled aviation.

Yeah, that plus the problem of the laws of physics.
 
Yeah, that plus the problem of the laws of physics.

I think there will be a point in the near future where jet packs and individual flight will be advanced enough that a fairly novice flyer would be capable of flying into the path of a plane if so inclined. But, I think another possibility would be using them to plant explosives in difficult to reach areas. I mean, I can see that happening.

That said, there are cheaper and more conventional, effective methods.

I dunno tho, just spitballing a bit anyway.
 
I think another possibility would be using them to plant explosives in difficult to reach areas. I mean, I can see that happening.

I like where you're going with this - jet pack saboteurs.

I'm questioning though, what these difficult to reach areas are that jet pack saboteurs would threaten. I would think high-value targets have sensitive enough systems or human assets to mitigate infiltration by jet pack, but maybe I'm mistaken.
 
I like where you're going with this - jet pack saboteurs.

I'm questioning though, what these difficult to reach areas are that jet pack saboteurs would threaten. I would think high-value targets have sensitive enough systems or human assets to mitigate infiltration by jet pack, but maybe I'm mistaken.

I'm thinking more in terms of densely populated areas where maybe a structure would be vulnerable to attack. No idea if that's realistic though.
 
I'm thinking more in terms of densely populated areas where maybe a structure would be vulnerable to attack. No idea if that's realistic though.

Like fly in by jet pack to a densely populated area, plant explosives, and then fly that jet pack back out?

I think you're thinking more of like an evil version of Superman.
 
I’ve got an inkling that the terrorist should probably do something before the 500 ton airplane starts traveling at 600mph.

It's not gonna be traveling near that speed at 3k feet. The idea would be to hit it at It's slowest speeds which are during takeoff and landings.
 
Like fly in by jet pack to a densely populated area, plant explosives, and then fly that jet pack back out?

I think you're thinking more of like an evil version of Superman.

Lol, evil Superman. Didn't Lex use a jetpack at some point?
 
It's not gonna be traveling near that speed at 3k feet. The idea would be to hit it at It's slowest speeds which are during takeoff and landings.

The much better idea would be to hit it at its no-est speed while it’s just sitting still at the gate or on the runway.
 
The much better idea would be to hit it at its no-est speed while it’s just sitting still at the gate or on the runway.

Oh no doubt, but then you run into a more protected area of the airport. I would think security would notice a jetpack approaching before it has a chance to reach a plane. No idea if security would be trained to respond to that kind of threat though.
 
The much better idea would be to hit it at its no-est speed while it’s just sitting still.

But then it's just a jet pack crashing into a plane on the tarmac - not likely to be a large enough scale catastrophe to justify suicide attack . . . unless the jet pack was somehow loaded with explosives. So now we're talking about suicide bombing by jet pack.

Let's imagine, however, that meaningful explosives cannot be delivered by jet-pack without so altering the jet pack's flight characteristics that it becomes impossible to fly with the kind of precision it would take to stick a jet-pack at speed into the side of an airliner on the tarmac of a commercial airport. Wouldn't it make more sense to try to collide with it at altitude? If bird strikes can fork up commercial jets, what would a guy in a jet pack do? Seems reasonable to choose the mid-air collision strategy over the 'bomb the tarmac' strategy.

Of course, that brings us back to the 'waste of jet pack talent' problem.
 
Oh no doubt, but then you run into a more protected area of the airport. I would think security would notice a jetpack approaching before it has a chance to reach a plane. No idea if security would be trained to respond to that kind of threat though.

They could buy a drone at the mall that could accomplish this task much easier than by kamikaze jetpack attack.
 

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