A flight instructor based in Los Angeles may have recorded footage of the elusive individual (or individuals) who have baffled airport authorities, pilots, and the FAA.
Apparently flying in an area reserved for aircraft practice and training, an instructor from the Sling Pilot Academy in Torrance, CA managed to capture a few seconds of what appears to be a figure wearing a jetpack, flying at about 3000 feet over the ocean off Palos Verdes, CA, just south of Los Angeles. Catalina Island appears in the background for part of the clip.
A quote from the school’s Instagram account reads "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…" It is unclear if the figure is actually traveling under its own power, since the relative motion of the aircraft from which it was recorded may have caused the object to appear as if it was moving, even if it was something such as a balloon carried along by winds.
At last three sightings of the mystery aeronaut have been reported. The first in August by two separate aircraft on approach to Los Angeles International Airport, also at about 3000 feet. The next was on October 14th by a China Airlines pilot, also near LAX at 6000 feet in altitude. This latest incident may or may not be related.
The footage also bears an uncanny resemblance to many videos of so called "flying humanoids" captured in the past.