Martin Jetpack
The Martin Jetpack is a single-person aircraft under development, without wings or body. Despite its name it does not use a jet pack as such, but ducted fans for lift. Martin Aircraft Company of New Zealand (not related to Glenn L. Martin Company, the US company also known as Martin Aircraft) developed it, and they unveiled it on July 29, 2008, at the Experimental Aircraft Association's 2008 AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, US. The Federal Aviation Administration classified it as an experimental ultralight airplane.
It uses a gasoline engine with two ducted fans to provide lift. It is specified to have a
40-knot (74 km/h; 46 mph) maximum speed, 30-knot (56 km/h; 35 mph) cruising speed, a 3,000-foot (910 m) amsl flight ceiling, range of 30–50 kilometres (19–31 mi), and endurance of about 30 minutes flight. Empty weight is 200 kilograms (440 lb), plus maximum pilot + payload weight of 120 kilograms (260 lb) at full fuel.
History
The Martin Jetpack has been under development for over 30 years. Glenn Neal Martin (not Glenn L. Martin, of US Martin Aircraft) started work on it in his Christchurch garage in the 1980s.