Jetpack Aviation (company)

After spending 18 months building an entirely new form of flight control software, California's Jetpack Aviation has finished flight testing the odd-looking first prototype of the Speeder, a high-speed, jet turbine-powered flying motorcycle.

David Mayman of Jetpack Aviation is fully funded to build a prototype of his latest crazy invention: the Speeder flying motorcycle. We caught up with Mayman for another very fun chat, and learned he's planning to fly into the backs of moving planes.

Seeing 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 Harbour and attend the premiere of Own the Sky, a stunning documentary made about Mayman's life by a boyhood friend.

​We've been reporting on David Mayman and Jetpack Aviation for some years now, and this weekend he was in Sydney with his roaring jet turbine JB-10 jetpack to take another stab at a flight he tried to perform 10 years ago. We were privileged to watch this stunning flight in person.

If somebody tells you they're building a flying motorcycle, it's probably appropriate to reply "yeah, right." But if that somebody is jetpack guru David Mayman, it's worth your while listening, because Mayman has some seriously impressive achievements under his belt.

Jetpack Aviation has leap-frogged its own flying car project with the announcement that it's taking pre-orders now on a self-stabilizing, jet turbine-powered flying motorcycle capable of 150 mph speeds, 20 minute endurance and 15,000 ft altitudes.

The team at Jetpack Aviation has just completed test flights in which two pilots flew close enough together to playfully boop each other on the nose. Next step: the world’s first jetpack race series, starting in 2019, and yes, the jetboards and jet suits of the world are invited to participate!

Five grand isn't a ton of money in the scheme of things - you can easily spend more on watches, wine or a night out in Vegas. Or you could spend it becoming one of a very short list of people who have flown an honest-to-god jetpack.

Jetpack Aviation continues to beaver away at the future of personal flight, with its VTOL flying car design and a number of jetpack projects up and flying. We spoke to CEO David Mayman about his new, 150mph JB-11 jetpack, FAA regulations and the state of the developing VTOL air taxi industry.

​​Earlier this month, we witnessed the first "civilian" flight of a real-life jetpack made by Jetpack Aviation. Founder and CEO David Mayman also shared his vision of a transportation future centered around jetpacks and other VTOL technology he's working on today.

​Jetpack Aviation reached a major milestone this month when it strapped a regular guy with no training into its JB10 Jetpack. He managed to pilot the thing, if only for an extended hovering session while tethered to a cable strung across a small, cleared section of a California avocado orchard.

Jetpack Aviation's David Mayman and Nelson Tyler have already brought honest-to-god jetpacks out of the pages of science fiction books and onto the market. Now, they plan to do the same with flying cars. We spoke with Mayman at length about JPA's new manned VTOL multirotor project.