NEW ZEALAND'S MARTIN AIRCRAFT COMPANY READIES THE FIRST JETPACK FOR PERSONAL AND COMMERCIAL USE IN 2016

06/30/2015

NEW ZEALAND'S MARTIN AIRCRAFT COMPANY READIES THE FIRST JETPACK FOR PERSONAL AND COMMERCIAL USE IN 2016

THE FUTURE IS ALMOST HERE, IF MONEY IS NO OBJECT

Jetpacks are about to go on sale, so curmudgeons of the world can at last retire their canard that we are not living in the promised future. The New Zealand-made Martin Jetpack first flew in public in 2008, and earlier this past winter opened for public trading for the first time. Now, rich daredevils and the rescue crews tasked with finding them can both expect to buy the jetpacks when they go on sale in the second half of 2016.

Martin Jetpack inventor Glenn Martin shows off the Jetpack P12 with Martin Aircraft CEO Peter Coker, right. Mr Coker said the jetpacks have been built to fit in with US and New Zealand aviation standards. Ben Rushton/AFR (Click Image To Enlarge)

There’s one hitch: the Martin Jetpack isn’t precisely a jetpack. Instead, it belongs to the “ducted fan” family of vehicles, which include some modern and past experimental hoverbikes, as well as some drones. So it’s not jets, exactly, but it is still an actual flying machine worn on a person’s back that hurtles them into the air.

Smaller than a helicopter and larger than a drone the jetpack can, according to its creators, fill niche roles, like rescuing surfers or inspecting pipelines. It’s also aimed at the recreational market, for rich thrill-seekers. The jetpack is expected to retail between $150,000 and $200,000, or about the median home price in the United States in 2014. Who needs a house when you canmake your home in the sky with your actual working jetpack?

COMMENTARY: To demonstrate flight high above the ground and the concept of the ballistic parachute as an emergency safety system, the Martin Jetpack was flown to around 1500m (5000ft), brought down from this height and an off-the-shelf ballistic parachute was deployed.The aircraft was flown by James via radio control in a chasing helicopter - also demonstrating the ability of the technology to apply to UAV applications. Jetson, Martin Aircraft Company's weighted dummy was on board, and the parachute was placed out front for visibility and weight balancing.The video features inventor Glenn Martin and RC pilot James Bowker. The jetpack ascended initially at 4m/s (800ft/min) and the climb took about 6 minutes. The parachute was deployed at around 3000ft above ground level. The aircraft sustained some damage on impact, but we would expect that it is likely a pilot would have walked away from this emergency landing. The total flight was just under 10 minutes.

Martin Aicraft Company has been approached by over 2500 individuals interested in buying a Jetpack for personal use. In addition Martin Aircraft has had expressions of interest for over 3,000 commercial Jetpacks from the militaries, search and rescue organisations, first responders and commercial organisations.