In this age of rapid technological advancement, it feels like an eternity where products seem to be iterated every six months. It has been three years since David Mayman flew his JP-9 jetpack around the statue of liberty. For his many public appearances, Mayman now flies a heavily upgraded six-engine JB-11. In his downtime, he works on flying car designs. Jetpack is ready to sell these wild machines to the brave which are capable of going to 18,000-foot altitude with 150 mph but they have taken a path of caution. They will release these machines to the public after coming up with a fool-proof safety system which in case of catastrophic failure, will take over as a final resort.
But it doesn’t mean that we can’t fly one. For long, Mayman has been the only person who has been flying the impressive JB for a while, but soon he trained others in his company and then the odd outsider. He now has announced to open his training facility for the public to try out their JB-10 jetpack. You can now get trained on how to fly the JB-10 by the world’s only FAA-certified jetpack instructor, Mayman and qualified pilot Boris Jarry. You’ll do all – takeoffs, hovering, backways, forward, sideways flight and landings for the cost of US$ 4,950. Mayman believes it would be very intuitive for most people and is more or less a Segway in the sky.
The instructors will have the ability to remotely switch-off the engines as all flights will be tied to a safety wire if things are leading to a catastrophe. The pilots will receive their custom-made flight suite tailored just for the occasion. They will also get the photos and videos of their aerial maneuvers.
The training facility is in the outskirts of Los Angeles, among beautiful citrus trees. The view of the ocean is mesmerizing. The total flight time will be around 20 minutes. Though this time limit might not be enough to train a lot of pilots to allow them to fly off tether, Mayman says the successful pilots might have an option to come back to take their training further.
It’s not cheap, but it will surely be a unique experience. The company usually points out that the number of people that have flown a jetpack is less than those who have walked on the moon. People have been dreaming of it for many years, but only Mayman and the Jetpack Aviation are precisely on the cutting edge of a new personal flight category. If you happen to experience this amazing thing, do let us know how it feels!
Source: Jetpack Aviation Experience Center via New Atlas