It turns out that we’ve been wrong. We should have taken the turbines from jets and strapped them to some poor schmuck.
Enter the Martin Jetpack by way kiwi based Martin Aircraft Company
- The jetpack is made from carbon fiber, with a touch of kevlar in the rotors, and generates 600lbs of thrust. Because the center of gravity is below the “center of thrust†(a notional point between the   engines), it is self-righting: if the pilot lets go of the controls, he hovers steadily in one spot. Unlike other sci-fi vehicles, the jetpack doesn’t require plutonium or even garbage for power. Instead, it runs on ordinary gasoline, chugging down around 10 gallons per hour (a full tank of five gallons will give you half an hour of flight time, enough to get you to the office).
Martin’s jetpack is classed as an ultralight aircraft, so you don’t need a pilot license fly it. Martin will force buyers to undergo training first, though. As FAQ so rightly points out: “to attempt to fly any aircraft without professional instruction is extremely foolhardy.†There are some safety features, though. If the engine dies, a parachute pops out like an airbag in a car, so the only thing you need worry about is crashing into passing planes.
Want one? Of course you do. Right now you’re looking at a 12-month wait, and you’ll have to pay 10% up-front, but at just shy of $90,000 – the same as a fancy sports car – it’s actually a pretty good deal. And just imagine landing this thing on the forecourt of the local gas station.
