Kevin Spiess - Friday, May 15th, 2009 | 10:43AM (PT)
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Roads are for suckers
After almost a lifetime of work, aviator and engineer Glenn Martin is ready to produce and sell an actual, personal jetpack.
But actually, it's not a jetpack per se. Actual jets would have the unfortunate side effect of burning you, so the "Martin Jetpack" might be better described as a hoverpack -- it uses twin turbines to generate 600lbs of thrust. It can fly for about 30 minutes before having to refuel (with gasoline.)
Made out of carbon fiber composites, the 500lb hoverpack has a 200 hp, 2 stroke engine designed by Mr. Martin himself. It has a range of 31.5 miles and top speed of 63 MPH. If you feel brave enough, you can hover at heights of up to 8000ft, but something like this will probably be used much closer to the ground.
You don't need any sort of aviation license to pilot this device, but you will need to complete a training course given by the Glenn Martin company beforehand, if you want to get flying. Built in the United States, each hoverpack will be selling for an even $100,000 USD.
I think there would be no shortage of people willing to pay all sorts of cash to say, fly one around the Grand Canyon or something. I can hardly imagine how sweet that'd be.
i swear that other people have designed smaller quieter sleeker looking versions they just aren't for sale, and don't last aslong, to be honest i'd be embarrassed flying about in that
There were other, smaller sleeker jetpacks but they didn't have all the much flying time, nor as much degree of control as this one. As far as I recall anyways.
That is insane, defiantly would take a few weeks of play time in a good open area to learn to handle & control it but once some one gets it down I think its just like a bicycle, once you learn to ride you never forget.
Soon, people will have monthly payments for their hoverpack, you know, instead of for a car. Also, considering how expensive it is, and how popular it might get, it is unreasonable to charge a bulk fee of 100k. But umm... I want to see a smaller, more efficient model that doesn't require gas as its energy source. Very cool though.
All it needs are a good set of wheels and you could drag it to wherever you need to take off and land. Very cool design, and it kind of reminds me of Metal Gear
Now THAT is sick, only problem is that I have student loans over my head. Maybe one of these days I get one of these after I get the student loans paid off. Call it a pipe dream; maybe by then there will be an improved model.
With the help of that jet-pack, I or someone can rescue the detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Su Kyi from the notorious Insein prison in Rangoon now!!!!!!!
If American citizens want to meet her in the future, they could use that jet-pack instead of swimming through the lake nearby her house.
Damn Burmese regime for detaining and charging her again!
^^^ by selling them for $100,000 a piece they are probably aiming the device and very select clientele of people who make many millions of bucks a year. This probably works out well for the company because I would imagine currently they can only build a small amount of jetpacks a year anyways.
Andrei-=> I would imagine that you could land the jetpack with only one jet turbine in operation. It would be really bad luck if both turbines died at the same time; in which case you'd probably be toast. Unless you fitted an emergency parachute on top or something...
kspiess-> doesen look like it work with one turbine, its two to maintain balance... Doesn't look like it has an parachute... and even if it has you kould get killed by falling at about 20 metres, and the parachute won't open
Wouldnt bet 100k just yet, wait till it get's refined
Yeah, I think Andrei has a point about the dual-turbine balancing action. With one on the fritz, you'd spin and flop around like a firecracker on a one way trip to BOOMsville.
But, awesome find!
And, in the spirit of "If it exists, it's online." there's an actual online jetpack community - although they call them rocket belts. Wheee...
Perhaps I'm wrong about being able to land it with one turbine out. I think you'd be able to ; although it would be difficult.
But anyways I was right about the parachute. Productions models will have an emergency chute: ---[quote] Production versions of the Jetpack are equipped with a Ballistic Parachute system from Ballistic Recovery Systems. This enables the pilot to be saved from a catastrophic failure down to a reasonably low altitude. Ballistic parachutes can open at very low altitudes, particularly if the aircraft has some forward speed. For this reason the "flight profiles" will be calculated to have the lowest risk possible.
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but it's too big, within 10 years this should be way smaller and i might buy it.
but they might start making it mandatory to have a license and such
That is all.
i would definitely save up for like 5 years to buy this!
If you run out of fuel and have to land somewhere.. do you just leave it there?! ha
With the help of that jet-pack, I or someone can rescue the detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Su Kyi from the notorious Insein prison in Rangoon now!!!!!!!
If American citizens want to meet her in the future, they could use that jet-pack instead of swimming through the lake nearby her house.
Damn Burmese regime for detaining and charging her again!
Now i only need to know where do I steal them...
100k it's just too much to my tiny wallet
What garantees you that5 you won't just fall off when youre at 300ft??
Doesn't look like it has an parachute... and even if it has you kould get killed by falling at about 20 metres, and the parachute won't open
Wouldnt bet 100k just yet, wait till it get's refined
But, awesome find!
And, in the spirit of "If it exists, it's online." there's an actual online jetpack community - although they call them rocket belts. Wheee...
Cheers,
Adrian
But anyways I was right about the parachute. Productions models will have an emergency chute:
---[quote]
Production versions of the Jetpack are equipped with a Ballistic Parachute system from Ballistic Recovery Systems. This enables the pilot to be saved from a catastrophic failure down to a reasonably low altitude. Ballistic parachutes can open at very low altitudes, particularly if the aircraft has some forward speed. For this reason the "flight profiles" will be calculated to have the lowest risk possible.
There will also be a bit of a roll cage as well.