Jet packs are real – and inventor just broke world speed record in it

A British inventor has set a new world record for fastest speed in a body-controlled, jet engine-powered suit. Richard Browning, a 38-year-old Marines reservist from Wiltshire, is founder and chief test pilot for Gravity Industries, a company of around 30 "passionate experts from around the world". Under the supervision of …

[Anonymous Coward]

There's a willy joke here somewhere.

[Anonymous Coward]

> There's a willy joke here somewhere.

Not sure about that, but he really needs to partner with an investor named Trousers for the perfect eponymously named company.

[TheVogon]

"There's a willy joke here somewhere."

That's quite a blow job at 30MPH....

[Mark Solaris]

About the only time you don't want road head.

[defiler]

Duration?

That's always been the block for jetpacks - they just don't run for all that long...

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Duration?

That and they set the backs of your trousers on fire.

[Lee D]

Re: Duration?

Ya cannae beat the laws of physics.

To stay aloft, you need to provide 9.8m/s^2 * the mass of the object to be kept aloft, of thrust. That's quite a bit.

And that's just to stay where you are, if you're even a cm off the ground. To actually go UP takes more, let alone travel sideways at 30mph too (which takes at least the equivalent of a small scooter engine in terms of forces). And then you have to put that all in something that also has to lift off the ground (the eternal conundrum of how to balance what you're lifting versus what weight of equipment is needed to produce that lift). And then you have to fuel that to operate for a given length of time, using fuel you carry with you.

All of that means you'll be lucky to get a few minutes, even with the densest of petroleum fuels that you really don't want to be strapping to your back near a big flame either.

It's a silly, impractical idea best left to Bond movies as all you can really do until we make portable fusion packs and a hover-drive is a couple of minutes of expensive environment-destroying movement that you could probably outpace just by running (if you include setup, lift-off, movement, landing, removal).

[Yet Another Anonymous coward]

Re: Duration?

In flight refueling

[bombastic bob]

Re: Duration?

"In flight refueling"

or drag a small fuel cart behind you with a long hose

[Captain DaFt]

Re: Duration?

"In flight refueling"

or drag a small fuel cart behind you with a long hose

Similar to this: Jetlev-Flyer ?

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Duration?

I think the compact Jet Pack is a bit daft, but perhaps it would be more of a reasonable aspiration if it was a frame you strapped yourself into - a large overhead area storing fuel and a parachute, a seat and rockets attached to the bottom of the seat.

However if you're going there, you're basically building an inefficient one man helicopter.

[ecofeco]

Re: Duration?

Yet somehow Williams Aerial Systems pulled this off decades ago.

With a single engine.

45 min flight time. 60mph top speed.

[Nu]

Re: Duration?

The 'Martin Jet Pack' people are making a (less compact) personal VTOL aircraft with a 30 min flight duration. It's also got a ballistic parachute to make technical problems less terminal.

http://www.martinjetpack.com/

[Daedalus]

Re: Duration?

Re: Martin Jet Pack

30 min endurance is not too shabby, I suppose. It gives you a chance of getting from where it's kept to where it's needed with enough reserve to do something useful. You could shlep it around on a truck but how are you going to know in advance where it's going to be needed vs. the usual ladders, cranes etc? The ducted fan design gives you the ability to operate in confined spaces where helicopters can't, but as a propulsion system it's intrinsically less efficient than a standard rotorcraft. Basically the slower the airflow you send down, the less power you need for a given amount of thrust. Power required scales linearly with downdraft speed at the same thrust. These smaller VTOL designs trade endurance for usefulness in special situations. Successful (read lucrative) designs operate well in general situations.

[BinkyTheHorse]

Re: Duration?

"Ya cannae beat the laws of physics."

You don't have to.

For example, for the aforementioned Search & Rescue ops, I imagine an option of a highly maneuverable, manned, small-footprint aerial vehicle is still helpful even given the several-minute limit. Drones are nice and all, and would probably be used for the "search" portion, but can't do e.g. first aid yet.

Double so if the jetpack can be refueled from the "mothership", be it a truck, an actual ship, or even - equipped with a tethered docking adapter of some sort - a helicopter.

[PNGuinn]

Re:Search and rescue

I thought the object was to rescue the casualty alive - not undertake a premature cremation.

[Alistair]

Re: Duration?

@Lee

I have a whole box of "Oh shit thats cool" injections. I'll send ya one for free.....

[bombastic bob]

Re: Duration?

"To stay aloft, you need to provide 9.8m/s^2 * the mass of the object to be kept aloft, of thrust. That's quite a bit."

the vast majority of aircraft are incapable of that, and Harrier was the first to be able to take off vertically without helicopter rotors. It's a very difficult problem, a) enough thrust, b) enough fuel, c) not set your pants on fire.

[Doctor Syntax]

Re: Duration?

"a) enough thrust, b) enough fuel, c) not set your pants on fire."

I think I'd prioritise them in reverse order. In fact, not having enough thrust to get off the ground sounds like the safest option.

[Richard Plinston]

Re: Duration?

"To stay aloft, you need to provide 9.8m/s^2 * the mass of the object to be kept aloft, of thrust. That's quite a bit."

> the vast majority of aircraft are incapable of that,

Actually, _every_ aircraft _must_ do that, otherwise it is not an aircraft. Most do so by using the wings as a pump that shifts air from above the craft to below it but somewhat behind. This requires the aircraft be at some particular speed or faster (depending on many factors). If it goes too slow the pumping action is inadequate and the craft becomes a groundcraft quite soon.

> and Harrier was the first to be able to take off vertically without helicopter rotors.

No. Not even close: Ryan X-13, Short SC-1, Convair XFY-1 Pogo, P.1127, Kestrel, ...

[MrXavia]

Looks like a Very basic suit! (but still brilliant)

Just jets strapped to the back and arms with manual throttles...

Can you imagine what you could achieve with some more engineering and the same engines, maybe ducting on the fans while attaching them to the backpack rather than the arms, with computer automaton to balance the flight, some kind of thumb joystick in the hand to control the flight parameters maybe?

I could see a foldable wing, or wing suit being added to enable better fuel economy.

[ecofeco]

Jetpack Aviation. They've done it better.

[Alister]

Flying is the easy bit...

Landing gently however, is more tricky...

[DaLo]

Re: Flying is the easy bit...

He did take a dive straight into the lake on this outing as well!

[Mike Moyle]

Re: Flying is the easy bit...

"Landing gently however, is more tricky..."

"That's that 'superhero landing'... It's hell on the knees!"

[Not also known as SC]

Re: Flying is the easy bit...

Isn't flying just the act of falling and then suddenly being distracted by a particularly colourful towel, and forgetting to hit the ground?

[nagyeger]

Re: Flying is the easy bit...

I thought it was throwing yourself at the ground and missing.

[PNGuinn]

Re: Flying is the easy bit...

It has been said the the art of flying is throwing yourself at the ground and missing.

How much fuel does that take?

Quaint try, but way to yet, go lads.

[Anonymous Coward]

The Corliss Resolution

Purely speaking for myself, I don't regard this as a "safe" means of entertainment, and if I'm going to die using a bonkers flying device, it will be using a wingsuit, and I'll go like a fly hitting a windscreen, not with my pants on fire.

[GreggS]

Re: The Corliss Resolution

You mean like this?

https://youtu.be/jOe9RiI0280

[Mephistro]

Re: The Corliss Resolution

"and I'll go like a fly hitting a windscreen, not with my pants on fire."

You're lying!

[Joe Werner]

... he used to see the suit as an "exclusive high-end jetski, something just for fun"

Brilliant, crazy, not very useful, probably not cheap, but: what's not to like ;)

----> icon: last thing seen....

[bombastic bob]

Re: ... he used to see the suit as an "exclusive high-end jetski, something just for fun"

"----> icon: last thing seen...."

yeah, better than dying in a puddle of your own piss, I say. Go out with a "*BANG*"

[Dabooka]

Easier than riding a bike eh?

Browning believes it's "quicker to learn than a bike", and he has already trained new pilots in just a few days.

Yeah, that statement right there appears to belie the fact it's easier than riding a bike. It might have been a while ago, but I'm certain it didn't take me a few days to figure it out.

This is in no way detracting form his shedtastic achievement. Now, where's the Kickstarter link?!

[Daedalus]

Bond is back!

Well, that was the tag line for the second Bond movie. But this guy should take some pointers from the original jet pack. Instead of putting the control thrusters on his arm, in imitation of Iron Man, he should have all the jets on his back and vector some thrust up above his shoulders via pipes and then down to provide steering. Right now he's taking a lot of stress on his arms which makes long flights a problem. The Bond pack had some intrinsic stability because the centre of thrust was so much higher than the center of gravity of the pilot.

Now, if he could add some support gear for the pack to reduce stress on his body when he lands, maybe some wings to add lift, possibly a seat and some kind of canopy, it would be a better jet pack. Or maybe you could call it an aeroplane.

[Pen-y-gors]

Re: Bond is back!

One other slight drawback with the arm-mounted thrusters - don't absent-mindedly reach up to scratch your nose.

[PerlyKing]

Re: Bond is back!

"Right now he's taking a lot of stress on his arms which makes long flights a problem"

Please define "long flight"!

[Daedalus]

Re: Bond is back!

Long flight? In his case it's down to the chippy and back.

[DropBear]

Re: Bond is back!

"The Bond pack had some intrinsic stability because the centre of thrust was so much higher than the center of gravity of the pilot."

The pendulum rocket fallacy would like to have a word with you, in private. Yes, right now.

[hatti]

Like it

Putting the fun back into the commute.

I wonder if you could get done for drunk in charge of a jet pack. Imagining jet packed fuzz doing a sky chase with someone who strapped in and pressed launch after leaving the Dog and Duck.

[Ian Michael Gumby]

Re: Like it

At 32mph, you may out run cops on bikes, but not if they're using motorcycles or cars.

[MiguelC]

Re: Like it

on a jet-pack you easily fly over roads, somethings cops on cars or motorcycles may not be willing to do...

[jake]

Re: Like it

In the words of my generation, "You can't outrun Motorola".

[Anonymous Coward]

seems a tad obsolete

with drone tech being what it is nowadays.

But it does look fun ...

[Yet Another Anonymous coward]

Re: seems a tad obsolete

But you need a way of having the traffic cops for drones

[Mage]

Baffled

Electric drill triggers are usually just standard microswitches. Very cheap, add your own plastic hinged button.

Jet packs are real since 1919 (though that might have been rockets).

They are only practical for space (EVA), though technically those are likely rocket based.

I think a rocket carries oxidant and a jet engine uses air from the atmosphere. A jet engine need not have a turbine.

So this is not any more real than fifty years ago?

I think some people read too many comic books / watch too much cinema.

Most POPULAR SF is entertainment and lacking in any basis in physics, not prediction.

[EveryTime]

Re: Baffled

Electric drill triggers haven't been just microswitches for decades. Even the cheapest drills have variable speed control.

It might be more of a problem that the triggers now incorporate the speed control, rather than being simple variable resistors connected to a separate sped control module.

The old rocket packs were hydrogen peroxide rockets. They simply released hydrogen peroxide onto a catalyst, where it decomposed into steam. The only moving part was the valve, and the outlet temperature was limited. The efficiency was horrible, but they were relatively safe.. for the spectators. Not quite so safe for the people that needed to fuel and pressurize the tanks.

[redpawn]

Re: Baffled

My power drill failed when switching from reverse to forward. The switch would no longer depress. Cheaper to replace the drill.

Second time's a charm if it's a drill.

[Richard Plinston]

Re: Baffled

> A jet engine need not have a turbine.

It does unless there is some other mechanism to get it up to a few hundred kph*.

* Argus tubes (see V1) require about 200kph before they produce thrust, the V1 was fired from a ramp using steam or similar, or dropped from a plane. Ramjets need to be quite a bit faster than that before they work.

[Mage]

Jet & rocket packs

Not bad summary

I'd prefer perfect weather, a microlight glider and a reliable engine with a propeller. A giant quadcopter or other type person carrying drone doesn't sound safe if the power fails, but then I'd want to know that a helicopter degrades to and autogyro.

I'm not anxious to die like a bug or bird hitting a truck.

[Mystic Megabyte]

Top tip for Richard Browning, wear bright coloured clothing so that your body will more easily be found.

[Doctor Syntax]

"Top tip for Richard Browning, wear bright coloured clothing so that your body will more easily be found."

Second top tip. Cross your legs left over right. It's easier to get you out of the ground with a right-hand thread.

[TheOldGuy]

Jet Pack?

The only Bond gadget I really wanted was Little Nellie....

[Stevie]

Re: Jet Pack?

Made the Airfix kit years ago.

I always wanted the base-mode Wallis Autogyro, stripped of all that Q crap, like the one Rock Hudson flew about Mars on in the Martian Chronicles miniseries. Looked as cool as the stripped-down Lambrettas* my mares were riding in the early 70s, but could fly!

*A pipe frame, and engine and a seat, basically. Painted in bright primary colors. These were the very antithesis of the old Mod Movers.

[Stevie]

Bah!

"Ohhhhhh, the gravity of the situation

It's only my willpower that keeps this thing in operation"

10cc. Clockwork Creep from the album Sheet Music.

[Michael Thibault]

"serious work" begins to be possible sometime after the energy density of the fuel goes up by an order or magnitude. Or several. But, as with any journey, you have to start somewhere, and this Browning is among the first out of the gate. Lucky stiff.

[Daedalus]

Dense ideas

So it's energy density you'll be lookin' for, is it? Well, and isn't jet fuel one of the most energy dense fuels we've got already now? Unless you'll be thinkin' about hydrogen compressed to 700 bar, but that's only three and a bit times better. After that it's all nuclear me boy.

Mine's a Guinness.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Dense ideas

He's on about the future. So hydrogen compressed to 7000 bar, or unobtanium gas. Mr Fusion, etc.

Jet packs could work, but only with fuels or tank materials that we haven't discovered yet.

[mlynx]

Upper body strength

Watched a video about him a while back. He had to train to support his body weight on his arms the whole time while flying. So the technique might be bicycle easy, it's not something you can just jump into and go.

[Anonymous Coward]

I just flew in from Wiltshire

And oh are my arms tired.

[ecofeco]

Re: I just flew in from Wiltshire

BA DUMP BA!

Not enough upvotes!

[Anonymous Coward]

YAAARRRGGGHHH!!!!

If his thrusters got hacked (if they each have a control circuit controlled via some wireless protocol), he could be dismembered by hacking... or is that the usual method anyway...

[lglethal]

Which Richard?

I'm not sure why but I immediately misread that as Richard Branson. It's the sort of daft stunt that he would have made a few years ago...

[GruntyMcPugh]

Re: Which Richard?

If it was Branson, it would be the sort of stunt he announced a few years ago, but still hadn't got around to delivering.

[Tony Haines]

he says it could also be used for "serious work"

Thank God you're here, Captain Hairdrier!