I can recall the days when I stood up on my bed, tied a red sheet around my neck, setting it loose over my back and lifted my body up, only to fall flat on my face! Arrg… yeah, I was trying one of the superman stunts. I wish tying a jetpack behind was simple as in the game Mario :-( but Glenn Martin has lived his dream of going up above and waving out to the lesser mortals on earth, since the age of 5. Finally at the gigantic air show of EAA AirVenture, the personal flight equipment (world’s first practical jet pack) was brought forth and the spectators were left awe-struck as the 16-yr old son of Martin, Harrison lit the engine and soared 3 feet above the ground only to return after 45 seconds. Martin’s wife Vanessa didn’t miss the oppurutnity of being part of his husband’s creation, as she first tested the piloting capabilities of this apparatus. The noise of the engine was little above the normal decibels, but who cares when you get to see something breath-taking as this?! For the maker, sky is the limit and he expects to push its capability to something as high 6000ft with a running time 30 minutes, thus making it a best-seller in near future.
Having invested 27 years of his life, this invention is sure to yield a lot of greenery (I meant money when I said that!) he hopes to get this jet-pack on the retail shores with a price tag of $100,000. Do check out th video after the jump.
Via IHT
