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Another Pass at the Personal Jetpack

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the time-to-buzz-the-tower dept.

Engadget is reporting that dreams of a personal jet pack may not be quite as distant as you might think. Skywalker Jets, created by Rick Herron boasts a 90-pound jet pack capable of propelling a 200-pound pilot through the air for about five minutes without the hassle of charred lower extremities. The production model, which he hopes to run past the FAA soon for approval, will only cost you somewhere in the neighborhood of $200,000 — so start saving your pennies.

14 of 259 comments (clear)

  1. I can just see it now by AdvancedLoser · · Score: 5, Insightful

    people who forget to check how much fuel they have left while still hundreds of metres in the air plummetting down like bags of wet cement.

    1. Re:I can just see it now by gurudyne · · Score: 5, Funny

      "plummetting down like bags of wet cement."

      No, no. They will plummet down SCREAMING. They will SPLASH like bags of wet cement.

      --
      Hey, Mom! Is it beer, yet?
    2. Re:I can just see it now by Inquisitus · · Score: 5, Insightful

      The divers are only harming themselves.

    3. Re:I can just see it now by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

      Divers can do a safe ascent without air from more than 60 feet, if needed. If diving with a buddy (generally recommended), you can breathe off the buddy's extra second stage (octopus). Watch a fellow in a jetpack run out of fuel at 60 feet and I think you'll see the difference.

    4. Re:I can just see it now by TFoo · · Score: 5, Informative

      The difference is the margin of error. Basic scuba diving certification teaches you how to free ascend with no air from the deepest dive you'll ever make without a backup air source (~100ft: beyond that and you start doing things like taking a backup "pony bottle" air source). In a true panic situation where you can't swim up with the air you have left, you quick-release your weight belt, start blowing out (yes, blow out!), and your natural boyancy will take you to the surface -- without weight you'll go up pretty fast. Dropping weights is only for true emergencies -- usually you can just swim up since the air in your lungs will expand as you go up, making it surprisingly easy to ascend even from relatively deep dives without additional air.

      Soo, to answer your question:
              forgetting to check your compressed air: lose weight belt, feel stupid
              forgetting to check your jet pack: crash and die.

      Big difference.

  2. Insurance? by __aaakhl8499 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    whatever about the cost of purchasing, running and maintaining one of these - I can't imagine any insurance company taking on the risk that the pilot won't do serious damage to property and by-standers.

    The insurance premium will be huge.

  3. Skywalker is a great name for a jetpack by BadAnalogyGuy · · Score: 5, Funny

    Gee, EveryOne Really Gets Excited Laughing Up Cool Aero-vehicles. Still, We're In Luck. Landing Seems Uncompromisingly Easy.

  4. I want the full meaning. by spysmily1 · · Score: 5, Funny

    "without the hassle of charred lower extremities"

    Instead you just have lightly baked lower extremeties with a touch of fried groins.

    --
    Videogames made me kill people...I also eat mushrooms to grow bigger.
  5. That's all well and good ... by Average_Joe_Sixpack · · Score: 5, Funny

    Skywalker Jets, created by Rick Herron boasts a 90 pound jet pack capable of propelling a 200 pound pilot through the air
     
    ... but what about we Americans?

  6. Back when I was still flying by GMontag · · Score: 5, Funny

    Back when I was still flying (Army National National Guard, rotary wing) the landing checklist no longer included a fuel check (made sense to me).

    However, the "old guys" were in the habit of a fuel check before landing.

    One flight I finally responded to "fuel check" with "enough to land".

    The Pilot-in-Command responded: "How much?"

    Me: "Enough to land"

    He: "If you did not calculate it how do you know?"

    Me: "I don't have to calculate it. With or without fuel we are going to land."

    --
    Eve Fairbanks says I drive a hybrid!LOL
  7. For range, stick with blades by PIPBoy3000 · · Score: 5, Informative

    This personal helicopter can be flow for an hour or so and travels around 55 mph. Not as sexy as a jet pack, but it's far more utilitarian.

    1. Re:For range, stick with blades by nosredna · · Score: 5, Funny

      When the personal helicopter is more utilitarian than the product you're marketing, it's probably time to go back to the drawing board.

  8. 5 minutes?! by weasello · · Score: 5, Informative

    I get upset when my fully loaded Cessna 172 only fits 4 hours of fuel. I can see getting by with two, *maybe* one hour of fuel in a jetpack. But seriously - what can you do in 5 minutes?!?

    It's not even enough to consider a form of commuting; you can barely accomplish any task that wouldn't be done easier with a helicopter/climbing ropes/scissor lift, plus the huge pricetag...

    For most aircraft, FAA requires your flying vehicle to be able to get you to your destination with 30 minutes of backup fuel for delays, emergencies, or unforseen weather. Having a 5 minute flight time kind of negates all that...

    At best, I see this as a backyard novelty at worst and an airshow wonder at best.

  9. checklist by AlgorithMan · · Score: 5, Funny

    [X] Jetpack
    [X] Nightvision
    [X] Steroids
    [X] Medikit
    [X] Armor
    [ ] holoduke
    [ ] atomic health

    --
    The MAFIAA is a bunch of mindless jerks who will be the first up against the wall when the revolution comes