New Zealand Man Plans to Sell Jetpacks for $100K
July 30th, 2008 by BallerRide View CommentsYesterday at the EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, New Zealand inventor Glenn Martin debuted what he calls “the world’s first practical jetpack.” Powered by a water-cooled 200hp engine, the prototype jetpack flies for about 30 minutes and may eventually be capable of reaching an altitude of 3,000 feet, although Martin has set the limit at six feet for now while he tests the controls. Forty-eight year-old Martin has been tinkering with flying devices for the past 27 years and has high hopes for this jetpack, which he hopes to start selling to the public next year at a price of around $100,000.
In the video above, you’ll see Martin’s 16-year-old-son, Harrison, testing out the pack in front of a large crowd of onlookers. Based on the video and the maximum test height, it looks like Martin’s got a long way to go before he brings this jetpack to market. But we’ll keep our fingers crossed that it becomes available soon. And if Martin can get his jetpack to reach 3,000 feet, we hope it comes with a parachute.
[via Core77]
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