The Future Is Here: Jet Pack Takes Flight

By Marcus Gilmer in Miscellaneous on Jul 30, 2008 6:40PM

The wonders of the future that our parents were promised are finally coming to fruition. While jet packs have a long and storied history, the common man is still, sadly, jet pack-less. However, yesterday in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, we were offered a glimpse of what could finally be a mass-produced personal jet pack. Inventor Glenn Martin, of New Zealand's Martin Aircraft Co., proudly unveiled "the world's first practical jet pack" yesterday at Oshkosh's Experimental Aircraft Association's AirVenture show. Martin's 16-year old son, Harrison, piloted the pack, which lifted off the ground a few feet and hovered for a few moments.

According to Martin, who has been working on the jet pack for over 30 years, the pack uses a 200-horsepower piston engine, can fly at a speed of 60 miles per hour for up to a half-hour, and is capable of allowing the pilot to maneuver a figure eight. The pack also runs on standard premium gasoline and even comes with its own parachute. While the current prototype still needs some tinkering, Martin hopes to deliver the first 10 packs by next year. If you're interested, head over to the company's website. We just hope you have a deep bank account: the deposit alone is $10,000 while the final price tag amounts to $100,000. And in case you're worried about the rich kid down the block flying around willy-nilly, Martin says the company is developing a 10-day course that buyers will be required to complete before obtaining their personal jet pack. Right, because nothing bad can come of any of this as long as you pass a training class.

Now where the hell are the hoverboards and flying cars?