Inventors and innovators have long been fascinated with the idea of personal flight. So have we, and as it turns out, we couldn't have picked a better time in history to cover it.
Reporting on the First Annual Rocketbelt Convention 2006, New Atlas' founder Mike Hanlon aptly described the idea of a personal flying machine as "the world’s longest gestation vaporware." But times were about to change. Since then we've witnessed an incredible explosion of technology that's enabled a host of different approaches to getting off the ground – though, like the Bell Rocket Belt being celebrated at that convention way back in 2006, none of them are for the faint hearted, and the guys flying these early devices are very much aware they're putting their lives on the line.
From our early reporting on the Moller Skycar, the Martin Jetpack and Jetman Yves Rossy, to more recent pioneers like David Mayman, Richard Browning and Franky Zapata, plus some wild contraptions and personalities in between, here's some of our favorite stories on the evolution of personal flight.
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June 03, 2004It would look right at home on the set of Blade Runner or the latest Star Wars film, but the Moller M400 Skycar - a versatile, economical, safe, environmentally-responsible Flying Car - is definitely for real. -
![The Martin Aircraft jetpack is the first commercially-available jetpack]()
March 07, 2010It's been a long time coming. While Arthur C. Clarke's satellites have taken to space, and James Bond's futuristic mobile technology has become common place, still the dream of sustained personal flight has eluded us. But the future is here! -
!["We are the fuselage with the wings we've built, which puts us just between humans and birds, and that's good." —Yves Rossy]()
April 11, 2016We got Yves Rossy, a real-life "Jetman" to stay Earthbound long enough to find out more about his journey to create the wings, the importance of having a Plan B and just how it is he manages to steer. -
![Ferocious jets whip up the water below David Mayman as crowds line the stairs of the Sydney Opera House]()
July 23, 2019Seeing David Mayman flying his thunderous JB-10 jetpack in person is an absolutely astonishing experience. We were there to watch his "redemption flight" in Sydney and attend the premiere of a stunning documentary made about Mayman's life. -
![The National Aeronautic Association has confirmed a new national record of 49.9 seconds for human-powered helicopter flight for the Gamera II flight on June 21]()
August 10, 2012The National Aeronautic Association has confirmed a new national record of 49.9 seconds for human-powered helicopter flight for the Gamera II flight on June 21. -
![The Zapata Flyboard: Aquaman meets Iron Man]()
December 08, 2011This ingenious device turns a jet ski into a pair of high-powered jet boots that let you fly through the air or plunge through the waves like a human dolphin. Leisure product of the year! -
![Austria's Peter Salzmann powers through the air in his 300-km/h, twin-impeller electric wingsuit]()
November 08, 2020Ever since wingsuit flying took off as an extreme sport around the year 2000, people have been wondering if it'd be possible to stick a motor on one, and give it the ability to accelerate and climb. The answer is yes, as you'll see in this video. -
![Richard Browning flies the Gravity Jet Suit against a starry sky in this clearly photoshopped image]()
July 23, 2018Gravity.co's Richard Browning has put his extraordinary jet suit on sale. Those without the cash can throw on an HTC Vive headset and learn to fly the thing in virtual reality, where unscheduled landings will be a lot less messy. -
![The Speeder's fast, long range, easily-deployed and modular architecture has drawn significant interest from the US Department of Defense]()
January 26, 2022JPA's Speeder is a highly modular Air Utility Vehicle, a transition-capable drone platform running on insanely powerful jet turbines. It can be configured as a manned flying motorcycle or high-speed cargo drone, and prototype P1.5 is now in testing. -
![At speeds over 100 mph, Franky Zapata has become the first person to cross the English Channel on a jet-powered hoverboard]()
August 04, 2019After ending up in the water on his first attempt, flying Frenchman Franky Zapata has now successfully crossed the English Channel on his jet-powered Flyboard Air. The 22-mile (35.4-km) crossing took Zapata some 22 minutes, holding speeds over 100 mph (160 km/h). -
![Zeva's one-person eVTOL aircraft: a tail-sitting flying saucer design with some interesting advantages]()
November 23, 2021Zeva is deadly serious about bringing this tail-sitting eVTOL flying saucer to market as a one-person air taxi, and if you can get over the idea of soaring above the city head-first, face-down and Superman-style, it's got some interesting advantages. -
![Impressively, the pilot's trousers do not appear to fill noticeably during the flight]()
July 26, 2016Eight gasoline-powered heavy duty propellers. One tube lattice frame, a simple seat and a hobby-grade R/C controller wired in. What could possibly go wrong? This Swedish engineer displays a pair of colossal cojones as he puts his home-made flying carpet to the test.
