Where’s My Jetpack?

pjmedia.com ^ | August 16, 2013 - 11:20 am | Charlie Martin

[virgil283]

"We've wanted them since seeing 007 in Thunderball. Is Glenn Martin's jetpack finally the answer?....Maybe things are (heh, heh) looking up. A New Zealander named Glenn Martin — .. no relation to the other aviation pioneer named Glenn Martin — has been working for years on his own version of the jet pack. His version solves some of the problems.[ watch the second video : 1:30 min]

First of all, instead of using real rockets, this uses two ducted fans driven by a gasoline engine. This is not as inherently cool as a rocket, but it means that you can get pretty reasonable flight time......

[virgil283]

.How would I go about securing it in the parking lot at my office?------ :"For a while I didn't have a car... I had a helicopter... No place to park it, so I just tied it to a lamp post and left it running..." [Slow glance upward.].....[STEVEN WRIGHT]

[knarf]

Try This On For Size

[ansel12]

I saw the jet pack guy flying around the Houston Astrodome in 1965, it sure is taking it’s time moving to public availability.

[Hot Tabasco]

Those would be great for commuters.

Not from what I've witnessed of customers for a store sales event.......

[x]

And what about my flying car?

At this point, I'd settle for that $20 waterproof carboard bicycle we're supposed to have by now.

[21twelve]

25 years ago I lived in New Jersey and would quip “Flying cars? I would just settle for a highway going through Newark.” Going north-south at the time one had to get off onto the streets running through town, and got sidetracked into the hoods a few times.

[Regulator]

It’s a nice design.

- the fans need to be optimized, the pressure ratio isn’t that great

- the power density of the engine is too low, should be a lightweight gas turbine

And it could lose some weight still. Sorta garden furniture quality at the moment.

[Utilizer]

I was actually involved in an engineering project and feasability study some time back, as in before the dimwitted disco dancers became popular, but we never could get it going enough to fly.

I mean, it "flew", as in it could get off the ground, but an actual backpack design simply was not possible. Even if you could insulate the legs, and in the case of the backs of the thighs, calves, and feet; HEAVILY insulate them, landing anywhere but in a designated lot had a tendancy to start fires, and after a couple of times melting the tarmac then being glued to the spot after it cooled we just tossed it.

Don't bother asking about the times the "motor(s)" just quit on us, thankfully never with enough altitude to do any serious- ...ehrm, "permanent" (more or less) damage. Or the noise complaints throughout.

We built a hover car too, and that was a lot more fun, but it could never get certified for general use.

[Utilizer]

Meh. My sportster weighs about 400 pounds. It moves quite well, actually.

[Sherman Logan]

Your sportster also has wheels.

[Utilizer]

Thus we come to My point about the lightweight airframe. They also come with wheels for normal ground-based mobility.