Personal jetpack developed by New Zealand team cleared for flight tests

A personalized, wingless jetpack developed by a New Zealand team has just been issued an experimental flight permit, which will pave the way for manned trial flights, according to Fox News.

 

Chief executive of Martin Aircraft, Peter Coker, who hopes to bring the jetpack to the market starting next year, believes receiving the permit is a milestone in the development of the machine.

 

“For us it’s a very important step because it moves it out of what I call a dream into something which I believe we're now in a position to commercialize and take forward very quickly,” said Coker.

 

The jetpack is the product of Glenn Martin’s vision. Taking inspiration from the television shows of his childhood, mainly “Thunderbirds” and “Lost in Space”, he started working on his machine in the early 1980s – over 30 years ago. The fact that he had nothing more than his Christchurch garage as his work area did not deter from dreaming about creating a personalized aircraft suitable for regular use by ordinary individuals who have received no special flight training.

 

Making the Rocketeer proud

 

Martin’s jetpack is basically two cylinders containing propulsion fans that are attached to a frame made of carbon-fiber – an extremely strong yet light fiber-reinforced polymer.

 

To ready oneself for flight, the pilot inserts himself into the niche in the frame and straps himself securely in place with several belts across his chest and ribcage area. The controls consist of two joysticks.

 

For the purposes of added safety, the flying machine also includes a rocket-propelled parachute, should worst come to worst.

 

While earlier versions resembled two leaf blowers welded together to make one, bulky chunk of a machine, the design of the jetpack’s most recent prototype, dubbed the P12, has undergone several changes.

 

“Changing the position of the jetpack’s ducts has resulted in a quantum leap in performance over the previous prototype, especially in terms of the aircraft’s maneuverability,” Coker said.

 

Coker believes versions of the aircraft tailor-made for military and emergency applications will be ready by 2014, whereas a simpler, everyday-use model will be available to the general public in 2015.

 

The machine will be sold for an estimated price ranging from $150,000 to $250,000.

 

Good to go

 

The jetpack has been issued a special permit for test flying, courtesy of the New Zealand Civil Aviation Authority. This is a special certification that allows a pilot to fly an experimental aircraft in development.

 

The test flights, however, are subject to a few limitations. For instance, the flights cannot soar above 20 feet over ground, or 25 feet over water. The flights are also restricted to test areas over land uninhabited by people. — TJD, GMA News