It seems that the time is not far off when the jetpack will be behind everyone who prefers flying under the clouds to travel by cars. In any case, the first successful flight on such a backpack, thanks to the Australian designers, has already taken place.
For over 100 years, engineers have been obsessed with creating jetpack … The first projects of such a "vehicle" began to appear at the dawn of the development of aviation. The most significant attempts were made in the 40s and 60s of the last century. However, no significant success was achieved. With renewed vigor, they took up the development of jetpacks in the 80s, and then with the beginning of the 21st century. The first most successful example was introduced in Australia in 1984. An experienced knapsack was able to stay in the air for a little over 30 seconds.
To date, several teams are working on the creation of jetpacks. One of the most striking projects of recent times was Martin jet pack … The aircraft, however, is very far from the same futuristic jetpack that most people imagine. On the other hand, it became the first "knapsack" capable of holding a person in the air for 30 minutes.
The most successful engineering team was the group of Australian inventor and businessman David Mayman. Mayman has always been obsessed with jetpacks and for good reason, as he was one of those who worked in the Australian research group in the 80s. And it was the backpack of his team that made the first successful full-fledged flight. Mayman himself has been working in this direction for over 45 years. The new brainchild of David Mayman's team was named JB-9.
The first thing that the businessman noted in an interview is that this "knapsack", hinting that the overwhelming majority of related developments of other teams, are still not knapsacks. Much of the JB-9's structure is made of carbon fiber and other composite materials. The backpack can carry out vertical take-off and landing, is controlled by two manipulators, and rises into the sky using two engines. The pilot is fastened to the backpack using a special stabilizer belt and a set of belts.
JB-9 can stay in the air for about 10 minutes. According to Mayman, the length of the flight depends mainly on the weight of the pilot. Altitude, air temperature and a number of other, less significant factors also affect. The JB-9's tank holds 10 gallons of fuel. The backpack "eats" about one gallon per minute. The fuel is kerosene, which is cheap, easy to manufacture and relatively safe.
Undoubtedly, even James Bond would envy such a backpack. JB-9 with good reason can be included in 007 agent gadgets arsenal.