The Jetsons Are Here - Jet Pack Takes Off

From Aviation


AP Photo/ Morry Gash

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See our earlier test video here.

This isn't how a jet pack is supposed to look, is it? Hollywood has envisioned jet packs as upside-down fire extinguishers strapped to people's backs. But Glenn Martin's invention is far more unwieldy — a 250-pound piano-sized contraption that people settle into rather than strap on.

The Martin jet pack can — in theory — fly an average-sized pilot about 30 miles in 30 minutes on a full 5-gallon tank of gas. The apparatus was unveiled Tuesday at AirVenture Oshkosh 2008, the annual aviation convention of the Experimental Aircraft Association in east-central Wisconsin.

But don't expect to see commuters rushing to work by air instead of land. Ultralights can't be operated over congested areas, according to FAA regulations, and are to be used "exclusively for sport or recreational purpose."


We think this one needs some more shop time.


Two other companies are trying to sell jet packs now. Tecnologia Aeroespacial Mexicana in Cuernavaca, Mexico produces a custom-made rocket belt that costs $125,000. Jet Pack International, based in Denver, produces two hydrogen-peroxide models and one $200,000 jet pack that runs on jet fuel. An average-sized pilot could travel about nine minutes and 11 miles on the 5-gallon tank, the company said.

Glenn Martin should send one directly to Cage Match so we can test fly it and report.

So, in theory, one could get 6 MPG from this. That's about twice as bad as a naggravator. Oh yeah, and at 250 lbs, the "jet pack" is more than 8 times heavier than my enormous camera pack. I'll wait for Gilligan's version to come up for sale.

When you buy one, are the two guys who hold it steady included in the base price?

For a lot extra, you get the Barbi Twins!

Might be useful in a James Bond movie-oh didn't they already use one?