The Personal Jetpack — Old Dreams Die Hard
September 29 2008 / by John Heylin / In association with Future Blogger.net
Category: Transportation Year: General Rating: 6 Hot
Ahhh, the jetpack. For almost a hundred years, mankind has been fascinated with this technology, and for almost a hundred years we’ve wasted our time on it.
If you haven’t heard the news, Swiss airline pilot Yves Rossy managed to jet his way across the Channel between England and France in under ten minutes last Friday. What makes his jetpack truly original and fascinating is that it has wings.
“Rossy developed and built a winged pack with rigid aeroplane-type carbon-fiber wings with a span of about 8 feet (2.4 m), and four small kerosene-burning Jet-Cat jet engines under the wings; these engines are large versions of a type designed for model aeroplanes. He wears a heat-resistant suit similar to that of a firefighter or racing driver to protect him from the hot jet exhaust.”
The jetpacks you see frequently on TV are powered using pressurized hydrogen peroxide (typically giving the wearer less than a minute of flying time). Yves’ jetpack is not only powered by kerosene, but the added wing allows the user more directional flexibility and higher speeds, not to mention longer flying times.
But while this latest addition to the world of science blows our minds, do we need a jetpack?
