Personal Jetpacks a recreational reality that may one day offer frustrated freeway patrons an aeronautical alternative to gridlock!
Suit up and take to the skies with the first practical jetpack commercially available for those who pass the Martin pilots instruction course.
No special fuel is required the pack uses premium gasoline, the same as an automobile and depending on production volume, the initial cost will be about the same as a high-end motorcycle or car.
Whilst some people will use these for work; unfortunately for most of us this will not be a possibility for some time.
The US FAA is currently developing a ‘highways in the sky’ technology; basically 3D highways based on automated GPS tracks. Initial tests have been positive but the full system is not likely to be implemented for at least 10 years. Until such time the main use for Jetpacks will be recreational similar to current ATV, snowmobile, jet ski, and ultralight use.
How Flight Fiction became Future Possible!
The idea of a personal jetpack has long been a dream. Over the past 80 years many have tried, and failed, to realise this dream. Even the most successful, the Bell Rocket Belt, could only fly for a few seconds.
So when Glenn Martin got together with an impressive group of avionic, technical, design and production experts to invent a jetpack that people could just strap on and fly, the rest of the world said it wouldn’t hold it’s breath on that one.
The first serious attempts to build a Jetpack were instigated by the US military in the 1950’s. The idea was to build an ultimate “all terrain vehicle” to move military commanders around a battlefield. Several models were built, the most successful of which, the Bell Rocket Belt, first flew in 1961.
Unfortunately it only flew for 26 seconds, leading Mark Jannot of Popular Science Magazine to say in March 2006… “ I myself was most disappointed to discover that a Jetpack that will burn for longer than 30 seconds is out of reach.”
The Martin Aircraft Company was founded in 1998 specifically to research and develop a jetpack that could fly 100 times longer than the 26 seconds of the Bell Rocket Belt. The project was based on a concept developed by Glenn Martin in 1981 and verified by the University of Canterbury, Mechanical Engineering Department, in New Zealand.
In 2005, the 9th prototype achieved sustained flight times, laying the foundation for a viable and successful pre-production prototype to be developed. In 2008 the world’s first practical jetpack was launched at Oshkosh now a few years on early orders for sales to private individuals are expected to commence.
If you would like to register your interest in purchasing a Jetpack for private use, Martin Jetpack is currently accepting enquiries from commercial customers.
Click here to place your inquiry!
