Australian entrepreneur and jetpack co-inventor David Mayman showcased the JB-9 and achieved a world’s first by flying around the Statue of Liberty. And in a video posted online on November 3, Mayman took it for a spin – around the Statue of Liberty. The founders of Jetpack Aviation have been working on their product for 40 years, according to the company’s website.
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We may not have flying cars yet, but we do have jetpacks.
That’s because their definition of a jetpack is “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”.
“It would be wonderful if one day this opens the door to a vast new industry of affordable personal air transportation with applications for search and rescue, law enforcement, disaster relief and recreation”, said Nelson Tyler, the company’s chief designer, in a statement. The creation of the JB-9 was an arduous process, though, and included several different iterations, repeated testing, and multiple redesigns.
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The invention is approved for flight by the FAA and US Coast Guard, and could technically begin selling models in the “ultralight category” – or packs with a 5-gallon tank that could run for 5 minutes – tomorrow, as Mayman told GizMag in a lengthy interview. The team would like to add an auto stability system, a parachute safety system, and improved engine technology. “We could technically just send them the unit in a box and say “good luck” but it’s not necessarily going to end well if you’re doing 200 km/h, 5 feet off the ground, you know?”
