Aircraft

JB-10 Jetpacks now on sale to "well qualified buyers" – but there's also a chance for the rest of us

JB-10 Jetpacks now on sale to "well qualified buyers" – but there's also a chance for the rest of us
You can't catch me – David Mayman flies the JB-10 jetpack in Monaco
You can't catch me – David Mayman flies the JB-10 jetpack in Monaco
View 15 Images
Bid's eye view: David Mayman flies the JB-10 jetpack in Monaco
1/15
Bid's eye view: David Mayman flies the JB-10 jetpack in Monaco
Levitation: David Mayman flies the JB-10 jetpack in Monaco
2/15
Levitation: David Mayman flies the JB-10 jetpack in Monaco
Don't look down: David Mayman flies the JB-10 jetpack in Monaco
3/15
Don't look down: David Mayman flies the JB-10 jetpack in Monaco
Liftoff: David Mayman flies the JB-10 jetpack in Monaco
4/15
Liftoff: David Mayman flies the JB-10 jetpack in Monaco
You can't catch me – David Mayman flies the JB-10 jetpack in Monaco
5/15
You can't catch me – David Mayman flies the JB-10 jetpack in Monaco
Approaching the landing: David Mayman flies the JB-10 jetpack in Monaco
6/15
Approaching the landing: David Mayman flies the JB-10 jetpack in Monaco
The JB-10 jetpack on its storage rack in Moncao
7/15
The JB-10 jetpack on its storage rack in Moncao
David Mayman flies the JB-10 jetpack in Monaco
8/15
David Mayman flies the JB-10 jetpack in Monaco
David Mayman (second from the right) with the Jetpack Aviation team in Monaco
9/15
David Mayman (second from the right) with the Jetpack Aviation team in Monaco
Rocketman: David Mayman flies the JB-10 jetpack in Monaco
10/15
Rocketman: David Mayman flies the JB-10 jetpack in Monaco
David Mayman and the JB-10 jetpack travelled to London for demonstration flights
11/15
David Mayman and the JB-10 jetpack travelled to London for demonstration flights
High tea: David Mayman flies the JB-10 jetpack in London
12/15
High tea: David Mayman flies the JB-10 jetpack in London
David Mayman takes to the air in London for a demonstration flight
13/15
David Mayman takes to the air in London for a demonstration flight
Live on air: David Mayman and the JB-10 jetpack on British TV
14/15
Live on air: David Mayman and the JB-10 jetpack on British TV
The JB-10 jetpack: currently only for flying over water, until a ballistic parachute system is added
15/15
The JB-10 jetpack: currently only for flying over water, until a ballistic parachute system is added
View gallery - 15 images

After a series of successful flights in Europe, David Mayman and Jetpack Aviation have announced the JB-10 jetpack is officially on sale "to well qualified buyers." Presumably that doesn't include you or I, but there's also a competition to let anyone fly one of these amazing things.

Slated for delivery in April/May 2017, the JB-10 is exactly what you imagined as a kid – a backpack, with two turbine engines hanging off the sides of it. It's fast – some 7 percent more powerful than the JB-9, which got around at a pretty sprightly pace and had the ability to elevate at up to 1,000 ft (305 m) per minute. Endurance is still five to 10 minutes, depending on how much fuel you're carrying.

Liftoff: David Mayman flies the JB-10 jetpack in Monaco
Liftoff: David Mayman flies the JB-10 jetpack in Monaco

Part of the challenge with bringing the jetpack to market has been finding a way to safely train new pilots before sending them out into a field with two jet engines on their back.

As such, the Jetpack Aviation team is working on an electric, tethered training facility that gives similar flight dynamics without running up hours on sensitive turbine engines or giving pilots a chance to really hurt themselves.

And hence the "well qualified buyers" stipulation; these are early days for personal jetpack flight. Mayman and the team have no interest in having this formative technology stopped or slowed down by irresponsible users splatting themselves against buildings at 200 km/h.

Don't look down: David Mayman flies the JB-10 jetpack in Monaco
Don't look down: David Mayman flies the JB-10 jetpack in Monaco

The team also has another jetpack under development that uses three smaller turbines per side for a total of six instead of two, so there's some redundancy in case of engine failure. Mayman tells us he expects to be test flying that design early next year, but in the meantime, the automatic thrust management system is requiring a whole new computer and the team is still looking at ballistic parachutes as a failure option.

Jetpack Aviation isn't announcing pricing for the world's first real jetpack, but surely it's a case of if you have to ask, you can't afford it. But for the rest of us, the company is running a contest to win a jetpack flight – and I think we could all agree that'd be pretty damn cool.

Check out some video from its Monaco debut below.

Source: Jetpack Aviation

JetPack Aviation JB10 Principality of Monaco Debut Flight

View gallery - 15 images
11 comments
11 comments
Mzungu_Mkubwa
Any chance of transition to horizontal flight leveraging Rossy-type wings? Surely that would increase flight time (and most certainly range) due to not having to hover, right? (Reality is, I'm too "chicken" to try this gizmo, but it sure would liven up my morning commute! ☺ )
guzmanchinky
Very very cool.
mhpr262
I know it is real, but it just defies belief the way it just hangs there in mid-air. I can't help searching for the wire connecting it to some helicopter or crane ...
AliciaRussell
Sign me up ............. NOW!
MichaelFranklin
They always play loud rock music to cover the fact that it is incredibly loud.
michael_dowling
I was hoping to see the video without that damn loud music,as I wanted to see how loud this thing is. I noticed one of the guys filming had ear protection on.
Ned Baldwin
Too bad the video has awful music and denies us the chance to appreciate the sound produced by the Jet Pack
Aladdin Connolly
Why is it that they have never posted a video with more than two minutes flight time, but they claim 10?
alan c
I'll make two predictions based on this article: A tethered electric "trainer" system for jetpacks could be on sale before the jetpack is available; and someone somewhere will soon make a jet "multi-rotor" or drone.
coolbeans2016
As to 1 comment on "loud Rick music to cover noise". This video of Monaco flight... was so quite the noise of overhead jet flight could be heard in bacjground. But literally no noise from jetpack flight! This is as "stealth" as flight gets! As to 1 other comment "add wings for more vertical flight, as well as fuel conserving"… is an excellent idea! With todays modern design software (CAD) & available materials (carbon fiber), an adjustable, auto deployment, folding wing that is spring loaded in some way with different configurations, sizes, that "flexed" could be the answer !!!!!!! Imagine glide capability, along with reducing itself during speed flight!
Load More