Jet pack
Jet packs have been developed using a variety of mechanisms, but their uses are limited because of factors including the Earth's atmosphere, gravity, the low energy density of extreme fuels[clarification needed], and the human body not being suited to flight, and they are principally used for stunts.
Pure hydrogen peroxide is relatively stable, but in contact with a catalyst (for example, silver) it decomposes into a mixture of superheated steam and oxygen in less than 1/10 millisecond, increasing in volume 5,000 times: 2 H2O2 → 2 H2O + O2.
The classical rocket pack construction of Wendell Moore can be made under workshop conditions, given good engineering training and a high level of tool-making craftsmanship.
[6] Justin Capră claimed that he invented a "flying rucksack" (Romanian: rucsac zburator) in 1956[7] in Romania, and, without arousing any apparent interest, informed the American Embassy of his idea.
Within the framework of this concept, the administration concluded a contract with the Aerojet General company in 1959 to research the possibility of designing an SRLD suitable for army purposes.
However, it soon became known to the military that engineer Wendell F. Moore of the Bell Aerosystems company had for several years been carrying out experiments to make a personal jet device.
One Bell Rocket Belt is on display at the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum annex, the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, located near Dulles Airport.
The pack's basic construction is rather simple, but its flying capability depends on two key parts: the gas generator, and the thrust control valve.
One of the largest stumbling blocks that would-be rocket pack builders have faced is the difficulty of obtaining concentrated hydrogen peroxide, which is no longer produced by many chemical companies.
In 1965 Bell Aerosystems concluded a new contract with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop a jet pack with a turbojet engine.
On 25 October 2005 in Lahti, Finland, Visa Parviainen jumped from a hot air balloon in a wingsuit with two small turbojet jet engines attached to his feet.
[20][21] Similarly, to further protect the wearer, the engines are modified by adding a carbon fiber heat shield extending the jet nozzle around the exhaust tail.
Rossy claims to be "the first person to gain altitude and maintain a stable horizontal flight thanks to aerodynamic carbon foldable wings", which are folded by hinges at their midpoint.
[23][24] The system is said by Rossy to be highly responsive and reactive in flight, to the point where he needs to closely control his head, arm and leg movements to avoid an uncontrolled spin.
It has been claimed that the military was impressed and asked for prototypes for the powered wings, but that Rossy kindly refused the request stating that the device was only intended for aviation enthusiasts.
Rossy appeared in a February 2012 episode of Top Gear (S18 E5) where he raced against a Skoda rally car driven by Toni Gardemeister with Richard Hammond as a passenger.
[34] In 2008 Troy Hartman started designing a wingless jet pack with two turbojet motors strapped to his back;[35] later he added a parafoil as a wing.
As of 2013 Fritz Unger in Germany is developing a jet pack called Skyflash with rigid wings about 3.4 m (11 ft) wingspan and two turbojets designed to run on diesel fuel.
Jetpack Aviation was started by Australian businessman David Mayman with the technical knowhow coming from Nelson Tyler,[42] prolific inventor of helicopter-mounted camera stabilizers and one of the engineers that worked on the Bell Rocketbelt that was used in the 1984 Olympics.
[47] In September 2020 it was reported that the Great North Air Ambulance (GNAA) service was considering using this jet suit to enable paramedics to reach casualties in the mountainous Lake District,[48] and by March 2022 the operational director of the GNAA, Andy Mawson, had been trained to fly and the service hoped to start using jet suits in summer 2022.
[49] In 2021, Australian aerospace company, iJETPACK Aeronautics developed a six mini-turbojet wearable flight system ("Jetsuit") producing up to 180 kg thrust distributed across three units on the arms and back.
[51] iJETPACK's founder, Jennie Bewes is a commercially licensed helicopter pilot[52] that specialises in Safety & Regulatory Compliance and a former corporate innovation leader[53] known for introducing novel products and services such as the World's first big-data insights tool.
These inventions are known as "hydro jet packs", and successful designs have used jetski technology as the powerplant operating in a body of water (an ocean, lake, or pool) to provide the needed propulsion.
The 1896 novel The Country of the Pointed Firs mentions a "fog-shaped" man hovering low with "the look of a pack on his back" who "flittered away out o' sight like a leaf the wind takes with it".
Jet packs were featured in two episodes ("Turu the Terrible" and "The Invisible Monster"), of the original Jonny Quest (1964–1965) animated television series, and are seen at the end of the closing credits.
In 1966 the plot of the 21st book in the Rick Brant series titled Rocket Jumper was based on a hydrogen peroxide fueled jet pack.
In the 1982–1995 comics book series, The Rocketeer, the protagonist, Cliff Secord, acquires a stolen Cirrus X-3 military jet pack and uses it to become the eponymous superhero.
Jet packs also appeared in other video games, including Duke Nukem 3D, Jetpack Joyride, BloodRayne (worn by Nazi troopers), Tribes, Giants: Citizen Kabuto, Armed and Dangerous, and the Pilotwings series, in which it is referred to as a "Rocket Belt".
Grand Theft Auto Online added a jet pack called "Thruster" as a usable vehicle in a content update on December 12, 2017.
Many science fiction movies have included jet packs, most notably, The Rocketeer, Minority Report, RoboCop 3, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, and Tomorrowland.
