Authorities have found an explanation for flying oddities over Los Angeles

Three reports were recorded in the Los Angeles International Airport area: one on August 30, 2020, the second almost two months later, on October 14, and the third in mid-2021, on July 28. In all three cases, commercial airline pilots said they saw someone or something at an altitude of 3,000 feet (914 m), 6,000 feet (1.8 km) and 5,000 feet (1.5 km), respectively, writes NBC News.

The investigation was handled by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in cooperation with the FBI. One theory was that the unidentified flying object was a man with a jetpack on his back. But it was difficult to confirm this assumption: for more than a year of investigation, federal agents could not find additional witnesses who saw and were able to record on video the flying objects that the pilots had previously met.

The pilots themselves, in turn, were not sure that they had seen a living person at such an altitude. In some cases, the flying object was far away from them, in others, the high speed of the airliner approaching the object prevented the flight crews from examining the find, they could only glance at it briefly.

The solution is found 

Retired pilot and aviation consultant Ross Aamer, brought in by the authorities to investigate, found an image of a balloon that seems to match what the jet pilots saw.

"There is a high probability that the previous objects from the pilots' messages were also balloons, and the crew mistook them for people with jetpacks," says Eimer. — This is the best explanation for me and for the entire aviation community." 

The words of David Mayman, executive director of Jetpack Aviation, a Los Angeles-based jetpack company, confirm that the pilots are unlikely to have seen a living person. The developments produced by his company (none of which were sold) hold only a dozen gallons of fuel — you can fly with them for about 10 minutes. In addition, they cannot reach the heights described by the pilots.

"To climb to an impressive height and descend from it, you will have to spend a lot of time," the expert says, adding: — You'll just run out of fuel during the flight."

Meanwhile, Meyman himself is leaning towards the version not with balloons, but with drones. They are equipped with an inflatable mannequin, powered by a battery and controlled remotely. "Any teenager can assemble such a drone with parts from China," he says.

So far, the FAA and FBI investigation has not been officially terminated. Perhaps in the future there will be a more detailed explanation of the flying oddities over Los Angeles.