t’s the ultimate manifestation of a personal transportation: a backpack that you can strap on and just lift off to where you heart desires. Until now it was but the stuff of cheesy Bond movies and childhood fantasies. We recently saw an example of two jetwing pilots flying in concert with an Airbus A380, but these weren’t truly jetpacks. Right now though, the jetpack is a real thing.
Outed by a company called Jetpack Aviation, they claim that theirs is the only true, functioning jetpack in the world today. According to the company’s website, the portable flight pack--the JB-9 --has been in the making for over 25 years and is capable of stable flight, including the characteristic VTOL (Vertical Takeoff and Landing.)
“We believe a JetPack should be just that – a jet turbine powered backpack that is capable of vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL), is extremely light and small and can easily be carried around by the pilot.” states the website. “It should be powerful enough to lift the pilot quickly to thousands of feet above the ground but small enough to fit into the trunk of a car.”
And its specifications aren’t too shabby either: it is capable of lifting the pilot to an altitude of 10,000 feet (nearly 7 Empire State Buildings stacked vertically,) and can cruise at a speed of over 100mph. However, it has an endurance of only about 10 minutes (depending on the weight of the pilot,) so if you’re planning on getting one you’ll need to budget getting back to terra firma accordingly.
Watch it in action, flying by Lady Liberty:
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