New Atlas 20th Anniversary

The age of personal flight

The age of personal flight
Austria's Peter Salzmann powers through the air in his 300-km/h, twin-impeller electric wingsuit
Austria's Peter Salzmann powers through the air in his 300-km/h, twin-impeller electric wingsuit
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David Mayman wears an early JB-9 jetpack
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David Mayman wears an early JB-9 jetpack
The Speeder flying motorcycle: consumer versions are still very much on the cards
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The Speeder flying motorcycle: consumer versions are still very much on the cards
Mayman's 10-year journey to create a long-endurance jetpack is the subject of a stunning new documentary called "Own the Sky"
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Mayman's 10-year journey to create a long-endurance jetpack is the subject of a stunning new documentary called "Own the Sky"
The original Moller M400 Skycar is for sale on eBay
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The original Moller M400 Skycar is for sale on eBay
At speeds over 100 mph, Franky Zapata has become the first person to cross the English Channel on a jet-powered hoverboard
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At speeds over 100 mph, Franky Zapata has become the first person to cross the English Channel on a jet-powered hoverboard
The Zapata Ezfly is a jet-powered flying Segway that it seems almost anyone can fly
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The Zapata Ezfly is a jet-powered flying Segway that it seems almost anyone can fly
Zeva's one-person eVTOL aircraft: a tail-sitting flying saucer design with some interesting advantages
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Zeva's one-person eVTOL aircraft: a tail-sitting flying saucer design with some interesting advantages
Austria's Peter Salzmann powers through the air in his 300-km/h, twin-impeller electric wingsuit
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Austria's Peter Salzmann powers through the air in his 300-km/h, twin-impeller electric wingsuit
Jetman Yves Rossy
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Jetman Yves Rossy
Yves "Jetman" Rossy after a successful flight
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Yves "Jetman" Rossy after a successful flight
Gravity founder Richard Browning demonstrates the Daedalus flight suit
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Gravity founder Richard Browning demonstrates the Daedalus flight suit
Richard Browning prepares to fly up the longest zip line in Europe
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Richard Browning prepares to fly up the longest zip line in Europe
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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.

Personal flight

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