Yesterday 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.
Devised by a group of British adventurers known as the Skycar Expedition Team, the Parajet Skycar aims to be the world’s first carbon neutral flying car, running on a synthetic biofuel made from organic landfill waste. The group plans to take the flying car on a journey from London to Timbuktu (in Northern Mali) in March of 2009. While the expedition will involve a combination of driving and flying, the team will be piloting the Skycar over the English Channel, the Straights of Gibraltar, and the sand seas of the Sahara desert.
With space for you and five friends, you can float through the skies with your very own blimp, zeppelin, airship, whatever you want to call it. The Advanced Hybrid Aircraft’s Hornet Aerial Work has four twin motor engines that propel the airship at up to 81 knots (93 mph), at up to 7000 ft, for a distance of 200 miles. Not bad for an over-sized balloon. The airship is 100 ft long by 20 ft wide, can carry up to 2820 lbs, and sells for $1.46 million. Advanced Hybrid Aircraft will custom design the interior of the gondola to your specifications.
We think this blimp could make for a great spring or summer Sunday afternoon above your favorite city, countryside, and with the ability to hover, checking out celebrity or your x-girlfriend’s house; we won’t judge. If you’ve got something to say, daylight banners can be affixed to the side of the airship for the world to see.
Star Wars fans are in their own league when it comes to showing support for their favorite flicks. The Darth Vader hot air balloon, commissioned by a group of obsessed Belgian Force followers, is the perfect example. Standing 86 feet high by 69 feet wide, the Darth Vader balloon was built by Cameron Balloon in the UK and took eight weeks to construct. Before building the balloon, the creators sought and received permission from LucasFilms.
A Russian company called Scarab Aviation Lab has developed the perfect exploration craft, an ultralight flying pod coined the Evolution that can travel across land, snow, and water. The Evolution uses a gliding parachute that allows the craft to fly at speeds up to 100 mph. One seat Evolutions start at $7,200, and two-seaters run up to $13,500. Each is custom built and shipped within 60 days of order.
We’re waiting for Scarab to develop a rack that will hold guns, snowboards, and fishing equipment, and , so the Evolution can serve a more practical purpose. We’re also looking forward to two personal planes Scarab has in the design process: Sirius and Iris (pictured in thumbs below). No word yet on when they’ll be available for sale or what the pricing will be, but we’ll keep you posted as soon as we hear.
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