Leigh Coates says that when you speed through the air wearing a jetpack it feels as if you can fly like a superhero.
“It is an incredible feeling,” says the retired US helicopter pilot. “You really do feel as if you can fly”.
“They are really difficult to use though, to begin with”.
Jetpacks first thrust into public consciousness around the world back in 1965, thanks to the James Bond movie, Thunderball.
The super spy, then played by the late Sean Connery, is chased by gunmen onto the roof of a French chateau, from where he straps himself into his jetpack to fly off and escape.
Providing a dramatic start to the film, the jetpack in question, a Bell-Textron, had been developed as a “man rocket” for the US Army in the 1950s.
While the US military ultimately deemed that it was too dangerous to use, it did the trick for secret agent 007, or at least Connery’s stunt double.
Leigh Coates says that when you speed through the air wearing a jetpack it feels as if you can fly like a superhero.
“It is an incredible feeling,” says the retired US helicopter pilot. “You really do feel as if you can fly”.
“They are really difficult to use though, to begin with”.
Jetpacks first thrust into public consciousness around the world back in 1965, thanks to the James Bond movie, Thunderball.
The super spy, then played by the late Sean Connery, is chased by gunmen onto the roof of a French chateau, from where he straps himself into his jetpack to fly off and escape.
Providing a dramatic start to the film, the jetpack in question, a Bell-Textron, had been developed as a “man rocket” for the US Army in the 1950s.
While the US military ultimately deemed that it was too dangerous to use, it did the trick for secret agent 007, or at least Connery’s stunt double.
“I think that this technology will first be used in special cases, before finding a broader use in recreation,” says Benjamin Akih, an associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at Syracuse University in New York.
“I am thinking of fire-fighters, medical and rescue personnel, or possibly law enforcement… extensive use of jetpacks in these specialized cases may promote their adoption in other areas, such as recreation and personal travel”.
Daniel Levine, a trends expert with the Avant-Guide Institute, a New York City-based consultancy that focuses on travel and consumer trends, said that while mass-produced recreational jetpacks are unlikely, tailor-made – and extremely expensive – jetpack “experiences” will become increasingly common. And users won’t be tied down.
“I think in the next five years, deep-pocketed thrill-seekers will be able to rent jet packs in some country where insurance companies won’t spoil the fun,” he says. “My eye is on Dubai,” he says.
“Once the tech is easy enough for the average Jane, personal propulsion vehicles will find a place – primarily as thrill rides.”
Among the firms already well-established in the jetpack space is California-based, Jetpack Aviation, which was founded in 2015. It has already produced several versions of its “JB” series jetpack.
In addition to considering opportunities in the military and emergency services sectors, the company allows members of the public to be trained to use its Federal Aviation Administration-approved JB10, a twin-turbojet engine jetpack, that runs on kerosene or diesel.
JetPack Aviation founder and chief executive David Mayman say the firm has been “overwhelmed” by demand for its two days of training and – tethered – flights.
“We’re overcapacity in terms of the number of people we can take. It’s gone crazy,” he says.
According to Mr. Mayman, the jetpack – which his company touts as a ‘”Segway in the sky” – is intuitive to fly. Thrust and speed are controlled with the pilot’s right hand and directional movement by the left.
Meanwhile, a computer screen provides the user with information including the fuel level, engine, exhaust gas temperatures, and battery status.
“The average person, of average size and average health, will have no problems,” says Mr. Mayman. “That’s based on the number of people we’ve already trained.
“You certainly don’t need to be a trained aviator, or an existing pilot. In fact, that sometimes slows people down because they have to unlearn a bunch of things”.
Jetpack Aviation has now trained about 80 people, and Mr. Mayman says that several promoters have approached him about setting up experience operations in countries including Japan and Australia.
It isn’t cheap though, with the firm charging $4,950 (£3,600) for the two days of training.
“It’s an expensive exercise for us to run because it’s an expensive technology,” says Mr. Mayman. [But] I think that over time it would become more affordable [thanks to future technological advances].”
In the UK, a rival firm called Gravity Industries also allows members of the public to try out its jetpack, although, again, with the user attached to a safety wire.
Both Gravity, which provides the jetpack being tested by the Royal Marines, and JetPack Aviation also say they are starting racing leagues. These will take place over water, for safety reasons.
