Jetpacks!

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Here's an interesting story about jetpacks. We've seen planes, helicopters, rockets, missles... Why not have a controlled one on a person's back so we can levitate?

Sounds like a great idea to me, but is it true? Read this article and some follow-up articles and you decide.

NEW ZEALAND – A commercially developed jetpack, The Martin, is ready for liftoff!

The first commercially developed jetpack, The Martin jetpack, is ready for mass production and will soon be released to the public. The City of Los Angeles has already ordered 10,000 jetpacks for its police, paramedics and fire department. “We’ll all be flying around L.A. soon,” said Mayor Antonio Villaragoisa. “And it’s another great tool for law enforcement.”

The LAPD is in the process of hiring over 1,000 Law Enforcement Jet Pack Officers. They have begun training them out near Joshua Tree National Park.

Jetpacks are real, and you’ll be able to buy one in two months!

The Martin Jetpack is reusable and while it is a bit pricey, and a little bit bulky, they are worth it. Soon you will be able to strap on your jetpack and liftoff for work.

You strap it on, you fly. It’s that simple. “They developed it so even the dumbest among us can use it,” said aerospace engineer, Todd Cox. “Cars will be in the dustbin of history soon enough.”

The jetpack was developed by the Martin Aircraft Company which was founded in 1998 and operates out of New Zealand. The Martin Aircraft Company was founded by Glenn Neal Martin, not to be confused with Glenn Luther Martin, whose “Glenn L. Martin Company” became the “Martin” in “Lockheed Martin.” My favorite Martins!

The Martin jetpack can carry a person up to 8000 feet in the sky or the 31.5 miles distance that travelling at the maximum regulated speed of 63 mph will take you. With a full tank of gas, that would last roughly 30 minutes, although Martin Aircraft expects that to improve as the manufacturing process becomes more efficient. They are working on a second model that can take you to the moon. That’s a few years off…

The jetpack is convenient for locations where parking might be an issue. Standing 5 feet tall by 5.5 feet wide, with a length of 5ft. And if you use stack parking, experts predict you can put about 20 in your driveway. Meet the Jetsons!

Many of the specs for the jetpack are regulated by FAA restrictions, including the 5 gallon fuel tank and the areas that the vehicle can legally operate. The FAA does not require that users- who will almost certainly be referred to by owners as “pilots”, or “rocketeers”- will however need to file a flight plan before ripping off into the heavens. How the police or an FAA official would be able to catch pilots that fail to file a flight plan is unknown, but odds are they would find a way.

Currently the Martin jetpack is classified as a recreational vehicle, but it is restricted to non-urban airspaces for individuals – at the moment. Laws will have to be changed and amended to deal with the onslaught of jetpacks and rocketeers.

The price at the moment is $100,000, but the company hopes to bring the cost down dramatically in the near future.

Do you hate traffic? Do you want to fly?

Then strap it on, baby!

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