Company Demos Personal Aircraft, Future Jetpack

coondoggie writes "Earlier this week researchers with the company ESG Elektroniksystem in Germany demonstrated a form of 'strap-on jet wing' that lets a user truly fly through the air. The system, called Gryphon, consists of a six-foot wing and hand-held rotary controls for the rudder. The pilot has several different instruments available to him, including onboard oxygen and helmet that features a heads-up display. 'Researchers say the final version of the flying wing will contain an electronic system that will take care of some of the steering for the pilot which today can be a little tricky, researchers say. The company also plans to add small jets to the wing making it a true jetpack in the future.'"

Comments

Remember kiddies, this is not a real jet pack

[cmowire]

If you read the article, you see that there's not an engine in the thing right now.

This is a short and unwieldy wing that straps on your back and lets you fly farther from where you got dropped out of an airplane. You still need a parachute to land. You still need a real aircraft to lift you up for you to start your flight.

Not nearly as impressive as the headline seems to indicate.

Re:Remember kiddies, this is not a real jet pack

[MrDoh1]

Way to burst everyone's bubble by reading the article.

Re:Remember kiddies, this is not a real jet pack

[rts008]

See this link in TFA to help keep your bubble from completely bursting.http://www.spiegel.de/international/spiegel/0,1518,428830,00.html

I know it goes against /. rules to RTFA, much less check out links in TFA, but in this case I did.

Disclaimer: I was a paratrooper, and this intrigued me...I wish I could be a part of bringing this about, but my teflon kneecaps (from the last jump I ever made...#433) dissuade me from trying to keep up with the young ones now.

I wish them all of the success in the world for this, military AND civilian applications!
Fsck hang gliding, parasailing, etc...jump out of a C-130 at 20,000 ft. with a Gryphon and an O2 bottle and CRUISE like superman for more than a few very short minutes before having to 'pop the chute' and worry about the ground!

Pedants need not reply...If you haven't went HALO, you have no concept of WTF is going on here!
The only possible better physical experience than HALO, is HALO with sex...but there is that whole windchill/cold temp thing to deal with!

We had those in the '80s

[Hamsterdan]

Well, at least GI Joe and Cobra had them :)

This sounds like...

[kaan]

... an advanced, high-tech way to die. Seriously, a jet-powered vehicle where the frontmost thing is your head? At 135mph?

Re:This sounds like...

[TechForensics]

This is very old news. Almost fifty years ago rigid wing assemblies, or "Batwings" as they were called, were banned in the skydiving community as simply too dangerous. Let's hope the present inventors (or maybe they are better called engineers) can do better.

I, no ... well

[ScrewMaster]

There's got to be a good strap-on joke in here somewhere but I'm too many beers down to come up with it.

Some videos

[linhux]

In german, but anyway some pretty pictures even if you don't understand the language. :-)

http://www.spelco.eu/edit/content/file/DV141174_en/060817-zdf-heute-gryphon.mpg/Get.aspx
http://www.spelco.eu/edit/content/file/DV141185_en/060827-spiegel-gryphon.mpg/Get.aspx
http://www.spelco.eu/edit/content/file/DV141196_en/060915-galileo-gryphon.mpg/Get.aspx
http://www.spelco.eu/edit/content/file/DV141207_en/Welt_der_Wunder.mpg/Get.aspx

If they are having trouble with the jet

[Clockwork Apple]

Maybe they should ask Yves Rossy how he did it... a year or so ago.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHYXrqoS08o

Re:Safety..?

[(H)elix1]

It's not in the capability of an average man to pilot his own personal plane, be it just pair of wings on his back, unless a computer does 99.9% of the job. And if it does it, then it better be coordinated centrally with all other flying personal jets in the area.

I suspect you over estimate how hard it is to learn to fly. I flew solo after 10 hours of instruction, and that was with some pucker factor built in. Learning to crash (gracefully) and navigate ate up another 30 hours, and another 4 hours practicing for the test. The hardest part might just be the medical. (grin) Once you get past remembering to put the gear down, jet engine is not much harder than a constant speed prop.

As for signing stuff... depends on how they license this thing. They sell it as under 'sport aircraft' regs, it takes even less training to fly less than even experimental. Usually the gating factor is getting someone willing to insure you.

Re:your new design?

[lessthan]

Of course, the actual pertinent question is "Would a person willing to strap that thing on their back going to be concerned about safety?" I am going to go out on a limb and say no. So why argue about how safe it is?