pkpatriotic
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Its Interesting
The Martin Jetpack - Skip Bad Traffic!
Jetpacks are fascinating but have a number of downsides such as the the high cost of running which have you calculating in Gallons per mile rather then miles per gallon and the safety and scare of falling several hundred or thousand feet out of the sky. Glen Martin has created the Martin Jetpack which might change this is it any good?
Glen Martin, born in New Zealand has created a Jetpack which will set you back £50000 which isnt too bad considering the costs of other similar products. The pack was put on display at AirVenture where it travelled 50ft at a 6ft altitude and took 45 seconds. Do not be put off by those what I would call low numbers though as the official specs see this thing travelling a total of 31.5 miles with a top speed of 63MPH (which appears to be restricted to comply with laws) and can get to an altitude of 8000 feet (estimated). If my maths are correct I could leave the office at 4:30pm and travel home with in 10 minutes on my 10 mile journey which takes normally 35 - 40 minutes.
Main questions that people have with anything like this are costs to buy, costs to run and if they are going to fall out of the sky and die.
Martin Jetpack Costs
The Jetpack can carry 5 gallons of fuel which it burns at 10gph (gallons per hour?). This makes it good for 30 minutes of flying. Running costs at this price do not seem as bad as I expected and its seems in the reach of regular people like me!
Martin Jetpack Safety
The biggest reason I would not use a Jetpack is that the ground is quite far away and they do not have years of safety history like planes do. The Martin Jetpack has some (if not all) of my concerns addressed though. They are planning to make this thing safe from a 30 foot fall and allow you to be kept reasonably safe as it has a roll cage built in with parts of it protecting your spine from damage when you go down. A low level parachute is also built in meaning that if you fall from a relatively low altitude then it can still open. The propellers are both tucked away meaning that they wont clip anything like a helicopter potentially could. There is also no tail rotor needed which is apparently the cause of a number of helicopter crashes.
We all know that travelling by car sucks in busy towns. Being stuck in traffic for an hour a day is both frustrating and time consuming. Will the skys be opened up to regular people to fly around when and as they please? I think it would be cool!
Pre orders of the Jetpack are being accepted already over at Martin Jetpack. A deposit of $10000 is needed to secure your order (this is refundable according to the site). 180 days before expected delivery you will be contacted to finalise the order where you need to cough up another $50k and at this point you start the training program. Training is 5 - 15 days which is mandatory and costs a bit more too. Once you have passed the test the Jetpack will be delivered and you will need to pay the remaining balance.
Video Demonstration || The Martin Jet Pack
The Martin Jetpack - Skip Bad Traffic!
Jetpacks are fascinating but have a number of downsides such as the the high cost of running which have you calculating in Gallons per mile rather then miles per gallon and the safety and scare of falling several hundred or thousand feet out of the sky. Glen Martin has created the Martin Jetpack which might change this is it any good?
Glen Martin, born in New Zealand has created a Jetpack which will set you back £50000 which isnt too bad considering the costs of other similar products. The pack was put on display at AirVenture where it travelled 50ft at a 6ft altitude and took 45 seconds. Do not be put off by those what I would call low numbers though as the official specs see this thing travelling a total of 31.5 miles with a top speed of 63MPH (which appears to be restricted to comply with laws) and can get to an altitude of 8000 feet (estimated). If my maths are correct I could leave the office at 4:30pm and travel home with in 10 minutes on my 10 mile journey which takes normally 35 - 40 minutes.
Main questions that people have with anything like this are costs to buy, costs to run and if they are going to fall out of the sky and die.
Martin Jetpack Costs
The Jetpack can carry 5 gallons of fuel which it burns at 10gph (gallons per hour?). This makes it good for 30 minutes of flying. Running costs at this price do not seem as bad as I expected and its seems in the reach of regular people like me!
Martin Jetpack Safety
The biggest reason I would not use a Jetpack is that the ground is quite far away and they do not have years of safety history like planes do. The Martin Jetpack has some (if not all) of my concerns addressed though. They are planning to make this thing safe from a 30 foot fall and allow you to be kept reasonably safe as it has a roll cage built in with parts of it protecting your spine from damage when you go down. A low level parachute is also built in meaning that if you fall from a relatively low altitude then it can still open. The propellers are both tucked away meaning that they wont clip anything like a helicopter potentially could. There is also no tail rotor needed which is apparently the cause of a number of helicopter crashes.
We all know that travelling by car sucks in busy towns. Being stuck in traffic for an hour a day is both frustrating and time consuming. Will the skys be opened up to regular people to fly around when and as they please? I think it would be cool!
Pre orders of the Jetpack are being accepted already over at Martin Jetpack. A deposit of $10000 is needed to secure your order (this is refundable according to the site). 180 days before expected delivery you will be contacted to finalise the order where you need to cough up another $50k and at this point you start the training program. Training is 5 - 15 days which is mandatory and costs a bit more too. Once you have passed the test the Jetpack will be delivered and you will need to pay the remaining balance.
Video Demonstration || The Martin Jet Pack
