That jetpack you dreamed about when you were a kid can finally be yours, with the introduction of the Martin Aircraft Company P12 Jetpack.
Using two large, ducted fans, the P12 Jetpack can keep you aloft for around 30 minutes at a time on a single tank of premium fuel. It can take you as high as 3,000 feet and has a top airspeed of around 40 mph, which makes it perfect for short trips to the store and around town, though were not sure jetpack parking spaces are a thing yet.
If you happen to miss the mark and end up airborne for 31 minutes, the jetpack comes equipped with a parachute which will allow you float down to the ground slowly and softly. Of course, a Sport Pilot’s license is required to fly the P12 and Martin Aircraft offers courses on how to handle and fly it.
The founder of the New Zealand-based Martin Aircraft Company, Glenn Martin, has been working for more than 30 years to develop a jetpack. Fuelled by a childhood dream to own and pilot a jetpack one day, Martin developed 12 prototypes before perfecting the technology and introducing the P12.
“When I was a kid I dreamed of flying around in a jetpack like any 5-year-old,” Martin said.
Unfortunately, you won’t start seeing P12 Jetpack’s flying around the airspace above your town very often, as they cost $125,000. Martin claims that the cost could come to down in the future to the price of “a mid-range motorcycle or car” as production increases, but for now, this one’s another toy for the top 1%.
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