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A jet pack, rocket belt, rocket pack or flight pack is a device worn as a
backpack A backpack, also called knapsack, schoolbag, rucksack, pack, booksack, bookbag, haversack, packsack, or backsack, is in its simplest frameless form, a fabric sack carried on one's back and secured with two straps that go over the shoulders; b ...
which uses jets to
propel Propel or propelling may refer to: * Propulsion, to push forward or drive an object forward * Samsung A767 Propel, a mobile phone ** Samsung i627 Propel Pro * Propel Water, a drink from the makers of Gatorade * Propel, a steroid eluting sinus ...
the wearer through the air. The concept has been present in
science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...
for almost a century and the first working experimental devices were demonstrated in the 1960s. 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, and the human body not being suited to flight, so they are principally used for stunts. A practical use for the jet pack has been in extra-vehicular activities for astronauts because of the weightlessness and lack of friction-creating atmosphere in orbit. The term jet suit is used for a system incorporating a jet pack and associated jets attached to the arms to increase manoeuvrability (e.g. the
Daedalus Flight Pack The Daedalus Flight Pack is a jet suit capable of flying, hovering and powered jumps. It was created by British inventor Richard Browning, an athlete and Royal Marine Reservist. The Daedalus is different from other manned portable flight packs i ...
).


Overview

In the most general terms, a jet pack is a wearable device which allows the user to fly by providing
thrust Thrust is a reaction force described quantitatively by Newton's third law. When a system expels or accelerates mass in one direction, the accelerated mass will cause a force of equal magnitude but opposite direction to be applied to that ...
. With the exception of use in a
microgravity Weightlessness is the complete or near-complete absence of the sensation of weight, i.e., zero apparent weight. It is also termed zero g-force, or zero-g (named after the g-force) or, incorrectly, zero gravity. Weight is a measurement of the fo ...
environment, this thrust must be upwards so as to overcome the force of gravity, and must be enough to overcome the weight of the user, the jet pack itself and its fuel. This necessarily requires the jet pack to continually push mass in a downwards direction. While some designs have power and/or mass supplied from an external, ground-based source, untethered flight requires all of a flight's fuel to be carried within the pack. This results in problems relating to the overall
mass ratio In aerospace engineering, mass ratio is a measure of the efficiency of a rocket. It describes how much more massive the vehicle is with propellant than without; that is, the ratio of the rocket's ''wet mass'' (vehicle plus contents plus propellan ...
, which limits the maximum flight time to a few minutes, rather than the sustained flight envisaged in science fiction.


Liquid-fueled rocket pack


Andreyev: oxygen-and-methane, with wings

The first pack design was developed in 1919 by the Russian inventor Alexander Fedorovich Andreev. The project was well regarded by Nikolai Rynin and technology historians Yu. V. Biryukov and S. V. Golotyuk. Later it was issued a patent but apparently was not built or tested. It was
oxygen Oxygen is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol O and atomic number 8. It is a member of the chalcogen group (periodic table), group in the periodic table, a highly reactivity (chemistry), reactive nonmetal (chemistry), non ...
-and-
methane Methane ( , ) is a chemical compound with the chemical formula (one carbon atom bonded to four hydrogen atoms). It is a group-14 hydride, the simplest alkane, and the main constituent of natural gas. The abundance of methane on Earth makes ...
-powered (likeliest a rocket) with wings each roughly long.


Hydrogen peroxide–powered rocket packs

A
hydrogen peroxide Hydrogen peroxide is a chemical compound with the formula . In its pure form, it is a very pale blue liquid that is slightly more viscosity, viscous than Properties of water, water. It is used as an oxidizer, bleaching agent, and antiseptic, usua ...
–powered engine is based on the decomposition reaction of hydrogen peroxide. Nearly pure (90% in the Bell Rocket Belt) hydrogen peroxide is used. Pure hydrogen peroxide is relatively stable, but in contact with a
catalyst Catalysis () is the increase in rate of a chemical reaction due to an added substance known as a catalyst (). Catalysts are not consumed by the reaction and remain unchanged after it. If the reaction is rapid and the catalyst recycles quick ...
(for example,
silver Silver is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag () and atomic number 47. A soft, whitish-gray, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and reflectivity of any metal. ...
) it decomposes into a mixture of
superheated steam Superheated steam is steam at a temperature higher than its vaporization point at the absolute pressure where the temperature is measured. Superheated steam can therefore cool (lose internal energy) by some amount, resulting in a lowering of its ...
and
oxygen Oxygen is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol O and atomic number 8. It is a member of the chalcogen group (periodic table), group in the periodic table, a highly reactivity (chemistry), reactive nonmetal (chemistry), non ...
in less than 1/10
millisecond A millisecond (from '' milli-'' and second; symbol: ms) is a unit of time in the International System of Units equal to one thousandth (0.001 or 10−3 or 1/1000) of a second or 1000 microseconds. A millisecond is to one second, as one second i ...
, increasing in volume 5,000 times: 2 H2O2 → 2 H2O + O2. The reaction is
exothermic In thermodynamics, an exothermic process () is a thermodynamic process or reaction that releases energy from the system to its surroundings, usually in the form of heat, but also in a form of light (e.g. a spark, flame, or flash), electricity (e ...
, i.e., accompanied by the liberation of much heat (about ), forming in this case a steam-gas mixture at . This hot gas is used exclusively as the
reaction mass Working mass, also referred to as reaction mass, is a mass against which a system operates in order to produce acceleration. In the case of a chemical rocket, for example, the reaction mass is the Product (chemistry), product of the burned fuel sh ...
and is fed directly to one or more jet nozzles. The great disadvantage is the limited operating time. The jet of steam and oxygen can provide significant thrust from advanced rockets, but the jet has a relatively low exhaust velocity and hence a poor
specific impulse Specific impulse (usually abbreviated ) is a measure of how efficiently a reaction mass engine, such as a rocket engine, rocket using propellant or a jet engine using fuel, generates thrust. In general, this is a ratio of the ''Impulse (physics), ...
. Currently, such rocket belts can only fly for about 30 seconds (because of the limited amount of fuel the user can carry unassisted). A more conventional bipropellant could more than double the specific impulse. However, although the exhaust gases from the peroxide-based engine are very hot, they are still significantly cooler than those generated by alternative propellants. Using a peroxide-based propellant greatly reduces the risk of a fire/explosion which would cause severe injury to the operator. In contrast to, for example,
turbojet The turbojet is an airbreathing jet engine which is typically used in aircraft. It consists of a gas turbine with a propelling nozzle. The gas turbine has an air inlet which includes inlet guide vanes, a compressor, a combustion chamber, and ...
engines, which mainly expel atmospheric air to produce thrust, rocket packs are far simpler to build than devices using turbojets. 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. The main disadvantages of this type of rocket pack are: * Short duration of flight (a maximum of around 30 seconds). * The high expense of the peroxide propellant. * The inherent dangers of flying below minimum
parachute A parachute is a device designed to slow an object's descent through an atmosphere by creating Drag (physics), drag or aerodynamic Lift (force), lift. It is primarily used to safely support people exiting aircraft at height, but also serves va ...
altitude, and hence without any safety equipment to protect the operator if there is an accident or malfunction. * Safely learning how to fly it, given that there are no dual-control training versions. * The sheer difficulty of manually flying such a device. These circumstances limit the sphere of the application of rocket packs to spectacular public demonstration flights, i.e., stunts; for example, a flight was arranged in the course of the opening ceremony of the
1984 Summer Olympic Games The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and commonly known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the ...
in Los Angeles, USA.


Justin Capra's flying backpack

Justin Capră Virgilius Justin Capră (22 February 1933 – 19 January 2015) was a Romanian engineer and inventor. Biography Born in Măgureni, Prahova County, he was trained as an aeronautical engineer. He claimed to have devised over a hundred inventions, a ...
claimed that he invented a "flying rucksack" (Romanian: ''rucsac zburator'') in 1956 in
Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...
, and, without arousing any apparent interest, informed the American Embassy of his idea. However it was tested by Henri Coandă, a Paratrooper who crashed it the first time but managed the second after he advised to change the fuel and improve on the design. In 1962 a backpack was created at Bell Laboratories, following Justin Capră's prototype. The backpack is now displayed in a museum.


Jump Belt

In 1958, Garry Burdett and Alexander Bohr,
Thiokol Thiokol was an American corporation concerned initially with rubber and related chemicals, and later with rocket and missile propulsion systems. Its name is a portmanteau of the Greek words for sulfur () and glue (), an allusion to the company ...
Corporation engineers, created a Jump Belt which they named Project Grasshopper. Thrust was created by high-pressure compressed
nitrogen Nitrogen is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol N and atomic number 7. Nitrogen is a Nonmetal (chemistry), nonmetal and the lightest member of pnictogen, group 15 of the periodic table, often called the Pnictogen, pnictogens. ...
. Two small nozzles were affixed to the belt and directed vertically downward. The wearer of the belt could open a valve, letting out nitrogen from the
gas cylinder A gas cylinder is a pressure vessel for storage and containment of gases at above atmospheric pressure. Gas storage cylinders may also be called ''bottles''. Inside the cylinder the stored contents may be in a state of compressed gas, vapor ov ...
through the nozzles, which tossed him upward to a height of . While leaning forward, it was possible with the aid of the jump belt's thrust to run at . Later, Burdett and Bohr tested a
hydrogen peroxide Hydrogen peroxide is a chemical compound with the formula . In its pure form, it is a very pale blue liquid that is slightly more viscosity, viscous than Properties of water, water. It is used as an oxidizer, bleaching agent, and antiseptic, usua ...
–powered version. The jump belt was demonstrated by a serviceman in action, but as no financing was forthcoming, there was no further testing.


Aeropack

In 1959
Aerojet General Corporation Aerojet was an American rocket and missile propulsion manufacturer based primarily in Rancho Cordova, California, with divisions in Redmond, Washington, Orange and Gainesville in Virginia, and Camden, Arkansas. Aerojet was owned by GenCorp, In ...
won a U.S. Army contract to devise a jet pack or rocket pack. At the start of 1960 Richard Peoples made his first tethered flight with his Aeropack.


U.S. Army interest

Transport studies of the U.S. Army Transportation Research Command (TRECOM) determined that personal jet devices could have diverse uses: for
reconnaissance In military operations, military reconnaissance () or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, the terrain, and civil activities in the area of operations. In military jargon, reconnai ...
, crossing rivers, amphibious landing, accessing steep mountain slopes, overcoming
minefield A land mine, or landmine, is an explosive weapon often concealed under or camouflaged on the ground, and designed to destroy or disable enemy targets as they pass over or near it. Land mines are divided into two types: anti-tank mines, wh ...
s, tactical maneuvering, etc. The concept was named "Small Rocket Lift Device", SRLD. Within the framework of this concept, the administration concluded a contract with the
Aerojet General Aerojet was an American rocket and missile propulsion manufacturer based primarily in Rancho Cordova, California, with divisions in Redmond, Washington, Orange and Gainesville in Virginia, and Camden, Arkansas. Aerojet was owned by GenCorp, ...
company in 1959 to research the possibility of designing an SRLD suitable for army purposes. Aerojet came to the conclusion that the version with the engine running on hydrogen peroxide was most suitable. 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. After becoming acquainted with his work, servicemen during August 1960 decided to commission Bell Aerosystems with developing an SRLD. Wendell Moore was appointed chief project engineer.


Bell Textron Rocket Belt

In 1960, the
Bell A bell /ˈbɛl/ () is a directly struck idiophone percussion instrument. Most bells have the shape of a hollow cup that when struck vibrates in a single strong strike tone, with its sides forming an efficient resonator. The strike may be m ...
Rocketbelt was presented to the public. The jet of gas was provided by a
hydrogen peroxide Hydrogen peroxide is a chemical compound with the formula . In its pure form, it is a very pale blue liquid that is slightly more viscosity, viscous than Properties of water, water. It is used as an oxidizer, bleaching agent, and antiseptic, usua ...
–powered rocket, but the jet could also be powered by a
turbojet The turbojet is an airbreathing jet engine which is typically used in aircraft. It consists of a gas turbine with a propelling nozzle. The gas turbine has an air inlet which includes inlet guide vanes, a compressor, a combustion chamber, and ...
engine, a ducted fan, or other kinds of rockets powered by solid fuel, liquid fuel or compressed gas (usually
nitrogen Nitrogen is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol N and atomic number 7. Nitrogen is a Nonmetal (chemistry), nonmetal and the lightest member of pnictogen, group 15 of the periodic table, often called the Pnictogen, pnictogens. ...
). This is the oldest known type of jet pack or rocket pack. One
Bell Rocket Belt The Bell Rocket Belt is a low-power rocket propulsion device that allows an individual to safely travel or leap over small distances. It is a type of rocket pack. Overview Bell Aerosystems began development of a rocket pack which it called the ...
is on display at the
Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums, Education center, education and Research institute, research centers, created by the Federal government of the United States, U.S. government "for the increase a ...
's
National Air and Space Museum The National Air and Space Museum (NASM) of the Smithsonian Institution is a museum in Washington, D.C., in the United States, dedicated to history of aviation, human flight and space exploration. Established in 1946 as the National Air Museum, ...
annex, the
Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, also called the Udvar-Hazy Center, is the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum (NASM)'s annex at Dulles International Airport in the Chantilly area of Fairfax County, Virginia. It holds numerous exhibits, ...
, located near
Dulles Airport Washington Dulles International Airport ( ) – commonly known by its former name of Dulles International Airport, by its airport code of IAD, or simply as Dulles Airport – is an international airport in the Eastern United States, located w ...
.


RB-2000 Rocket Belt

This was a successor to the Bell Rocket Belt.


Bell Pogo

The Bell Pogo was a small rocket-powered platform that two people could ride on. Its design used features from the Bell Rocket Belt.


Powerhouse Productions Rocketbelt

More commonly known as "The Rocketman", Powerhouse Productions, owned and operated by Kinnie Gibson, manufactures the 30-second flying Rocketbelt (June 1994) and organizes Rocketbelt performances. Since 1983 Powerhouse Productions has performed show flights in over 40 countries such as the Carnival in Rio de Janeiro, Super Bowls, the
Rose Parade The Rose Parade, also known as the Tournament of Roses Parade (or simply the Tournament of Roses), is an annual parade held mostly along Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena, California, United States, on New Year's Day (or on Monday, January 2 if New ...
,
Daytona 500 The Daytona 500 is a NASCAR Cup Series motor race held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is the first of two Cup races held every year at Daytona, the second being the Coke Zero Sugar 400, and one of three ...
, and the
Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...
Dangerous World Tour The ''Dangerous'' World Tour was the second world concert tour by American singer Michael Jackson and was staged to promote his eighth studio album '' Dangerous.'' The tour was sponsored by Pepsi-Cola. All profits were donated to various chari ...
, as well as many television shows including ''
Walker, Texas Ranger ''Walker, Texas Ranger'' is an American action fiction, action Crime drama, crime television series created by Leslie Greif and Paul Haggis. It was inspired by the film ''Lone Wolf McQuade'', with both the film and the series starring Chuck Norr ...
'', ''
The Fall Guy ''The Fall Guy'' is an American action-adventure television series produced for ABC and originally broadcast from November 4, 1981, to May 2, 1986. It stars Lee Majors, Douglas Barr, and Heather Thomas as Hollywood stunt performers who moonl ...
'' and ''
NCIS NCIS or N.C.I.S. may refer to: Law enforcement * National Criminal Intelligence Service, the predecessor to the Serious Organised Crime Agency of the United Kingdom * Naval Criminal Investigative Service, a United States law enforcement and intelli ...
''. Powerhouse Rocketbelt pilots include stuntman Kinnie Gibson and Dan Schlund.


Jetpack International

Jetpack International made three models of wingless jet packs. The company stated that the could fly 152 meters, using
hydrogen peroxide Hydrogen peroxide is a chemical compound with the formula . In its pure form, it is a very pale blue liquid that is slightly more viscosity, viscous than Properties of water, water. It is used as an oxidizer, bleaching agent, and antiseptic, usua ...
fuel for its rocket engine. It was flown for 34 seconds in
Central Park Central Park is an urban park between the Upper West Side and Upper East Side neighborhoods of Manhattan in New York City, and the first landscaped park in the United States. It is the List of parks in New York City, sixth-largest park in the ...
on the 9 April 2007 episode of the ''
Today Show ''Today'' (also called ''The Today Show'') is an American morning television show that airs weekdays from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on NBC. The program debuted on January 14, 1952. It was the first of its genre on American television ...
'' and sold for $150,000. Their H2O2 jet pack was for demonstration only, not for sale, but the company stated that it could fly 457 meters, also with the hydrogen peroxide rocket engine. The T-73 was expected to fly up to 18 meters using Jet-A fuel and a jet engine, and to sell for $200,000.


Later technology

At the
TechCrunch Disrupt TechCrunch is an American global online newspaper focusing on topics regarding high-tech and startup companies. It was founded in June 2005 by Archimedes Ventures, led by partners Michael Arrington and Keith Teare. In 2010, AOL acquired the co ...
conference in 2014,
Astro Teller Eric "Astro" Teller (born 29 May 1970) is an American entrepreneur, computer scientist, and author, with expertise in the field of intelligent technology. Early life and education Teller was born in Cambridge, England, and raised in Evanston, ...
, head of
Google X X Development LLC, doing business as X (formerly Google X), is an American semi-secret research and development facility and organization founded by Google in January 2010. X has its headquarters about a mile and a half from Google's corporate ...
(
Google Google LLC (, ) is an American multinational corporation and technology company focusing on online advertising, search engine technology, cloud computing, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, consumer electronics, and artificial ...
's research laboratory), said they investigated jet packs but found them too inefficient to be practical, with fuel consumption as high as , and were as loud as a motorcycle, so they decided not to pursue developing them. In recent years, the rocket pack has become popular among enthusiasts, and some have built them for themselves. 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. The rocket packs being built today are largely based on the research and inventions of Wendell Moore at
Bell Helicopter Bell Textron Inc. is an American aerospace manufacturer headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. A subsidiary of Textron, Bell manufactures military rotorcraft at facilities in Fort Worth, and Amarillo, Texas, United States as well as commercial heli ...
. One of the largest stumbling blocks that would-be rocket pack builders have faced is the difficulty of obtaining concentrated
hydrogen peroxide Hydrogen peroxide is a chemical compound with the formula . In its pure form, it is a very pale blue liquid that is slightly more viscosity, viscous than Properties of water, water. It is used as an oxidizer, bleaching agent, and antiseptic, usua ...
, which is no longer produced by many chemical companies. The few companies that produce high-concentration hydrogen peroxide only sell to large corporations or governments, forcing some amateurs and professionals to set up their own hydrogen peroxide distillation installations. High-concentration hydrogen peroxide for rocket belts was produced by Peroxide Propulsion (Gothenburg, Sweden) from 2004 to 2010, but after a serious accident Peroxide Propulsion stopped making it.


Turbojet packs

Packs with a
turbojet The turbojet is an airbreathing jet engine which is typically used in aircraft. It consists of a gas turbine with a propelling nozzle. The gas turbine has an air inlet which includes inlet guide vanes, a compressor, a combustion chamber, and ...
engine are fueled with traditional
kerosene Kerosene, or paraffin, is a combustibility, combustible hydrocarbon liquid which is derived from petroleum. It is widely used as a fuel in Aviation fuel, aviation as well as households. Its name derives from the Greek (''kērós'') meaning " ...
-based jet fuel. They have higher
efficiency Efficiency is the often measurable ability to avoid making mistakes or wasting materials, energy, efforts, money, and time while performing a task. In a more general sense, it is the ability to do things well, successfully, and without waste. ...
, greater height and a duration of flight of many minutes, but they are complex in construction and very expensive. Only one working model of this pack was made; it underwent flight tests in the 1960s and at present it no longer flies. Jet packs and rocket packs have much better flight time on a tankful of fuel if they have wings like an aeroplane's.


Bell Jet Flying Belt: wingless

In 1965 Bell Aerosystems concluded a new contract with the
Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is a research and development agency of the United States Department of Defense responsible for the development of emerging technologies for use by the military. Originally known as the Adva ...
(DARPA) to develop a jet pack with a turbojet engine. This project was called the "Jet Flying Belt", or simply the "Jet Belt". Wendell Moore and John K. Hulbert, a specialist in
gas turbine A gas turbine or gas turbine engine is a type of Internal combustion engine#Continuous combustion, continuous flow internal combustion engine. The main parts common to all gas turbine engines form the power-producing part (known as the gas gene ...
s, worked to design a new turbojet pack. Williams Research Corporation (now
Williams International Williams International is an American manufacturer of small gas turbine engines based in Pontiac, Michigan, United States. It produces jet engines for cruise missiles and small jet aircraft. History Dr. Sam B. Williams worked at Chrysler on ...
) in
Walled Lake, Michigan Walled Lake is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. A northwestern suburb of Detroit, Walled Lake is located roughly northwest of downtown Detroit. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 7,246. History The town ...
, designed and built a new turbojet engine to Bell's specifications in 1969. It was called the WR19, had a rated thrust of and weighed . The Jet Belt first flew free on 7 April 1969 at the
Niagara Falls Municipal Airport Niagara Falls International Airport is located east of downtown Niagara Falls, in the Town of Niagara in Niagara County, New York, United States. Owned and operated by the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority, the airport is a joint civ ...
. Pilot Robert Courter flew about in a circle at an altitude of , reaching a speed of . The following flights were longer, up to 5 minutes. Theoretically, this new pack could fly for 25 minutes at velocities up to . In spite of successful tests, the U.S. Army lost interest. The pack was complex to maintain and too heavy. Landing with its weight on their back was hazardous to the pilot, and catastrophic loss of a turbine blade could have been lethal. Thus, the Bell Jet Flying Belt remained an experimental model. On 29 May 1969, Wendell Moore died of complications from a
heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...
he had suffered six months earlier, and work on the turbojet pack ended. Bell sold the sole version of the "Bell pack", together with the patents and technical documentation, to Williams Research Corporation. This pack is now in the Williams International company museum. The "Jet Belt" used a small
turbofan A turbofan or fanjet is a type of airbreathing jet engine that is widely used in aircraft engine, aircraft propulsion. The word "turbofan" is a combination of references to the preceding generation engine technology of the turbojet and the add ...
engine which was mounted vertically, with its air intake downward. Intake air was divided into two flows. One flow went into the combustion chamber, the other flow bypassed the engine, then mixed with the hot turbine gases, cooling them and protecting the pilot from the high temperatures generated. In the upper part of the engine the exhaust was divided and entered two pipes which led to jet nozzles. The construction of the nozzles made it possible to move the jet to any side.
Kerosene Kerosene, or paraffin, is a combustibility, combustible hydrocarbon liquid which is derived from petroleum. It is widely used as a fuel in Aviation fuel, aviation as well as households. Its name derives from the Greek (''kērós'') meaning " ...
fuel was stored in tanks beside the engine. Control of the turbojet pack was similar to the rocket pack, but the pilot could not tilt the entire engine. Maneuvering was by deflecting the nozzles. By inclining levers, the pilot could move the jets of both nozzles forward, back, or sideways. The pilot rotated left/right by turning the left handle. The right handle governed the engine thrust. The jet engine was started with the aid of a powder cartridge. While testing this starter, a mobile starter on a special cart was used. There were instruments to control the power of the engine, and a portable radio to connect and transmit telemetry data to ground-based engineers. On top of the pack was a standard auxiliary landing parachute; it was effective only when opened at altitudes above . This engine was later the basis for the propulsion units of Tomahawk and other
cruise missile A cruise missile is an unmanned self-propelled guided missile that sustains flight through aerodynamic lift for most of its flight path. Cruise missiles are designed to deliver a large payload over long distances with high precision. Modern cru ...
s.


Visa Parviainen's jet-assisted wingsuit

On 25 October 2005 in
Lahti Lahti (; ) is a city in Finland and the regional capital of Päijät-Häme. It is located in the Finnish Lakeland. The population of Lahti is approximately , while the Lahti sub-region, sub-region has a population of approximately . It is the mo ...
,
Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...
, Visa Parviainen jumped from a
hot air balloon A hot air balloon is a lighter-than-air aircraft consisting of a bag, called an envelope, which contains heated air. Suspended beneath is a gondola or wicker basket (in some long-distance or high-altitude balloons, a capsule), which carri ...
in a
wingsuit Wingsuit flying (or wingsuiting) is the sport of skydiving using a webbing-sleeved jumpsuit called a wingsuit to add webbed area to the diver's body and generate increased lift (force), lift, which allows extended air time (parachuting), air time ...
with two small
turbojet The turbojet is an airbreathing jet engine which is typically used in aircraft. It consists of a gas turbine with a propelling nozzle. The gas turbine has an air inlet which includes inlet guide vanes, a compressor, a combustion chamber, and ...
jet engine A jet engine is a type of reaction engine, discharging a fast-moving jet (fluid), jet of heated gas (usually air) that generates thrust by jet propulsion. While this broad definition may include Rocket engine, rocket, Pump-jet, water jet, and ...
s attached to his feet. Each turbojet provided approximately of thrust and ran on
kerosene Kerosene, or paraffin, is a combustibility, combustible hydrocarbon liquid which is derived from petroleum. It is widely used as a fuel in Aviation fuel, aviation as well as households. Its name derives from the Greek (''kērós'') meaning " ...
(Jet A-1) fuel. Parviainen apparently achieved approximately 30 seconds of horizontal flight with no noticeable loss of altitude.


Yves Rossy's jet wingpack

Swiss ex-military and commercial pilot
Yves Rossy Yves Rossy (born 27 August 1959) is a Swiss military-trained pilot and an aviation enthusiast. He is known as the inventor of a series of experimental individual jet packs, the latest using carbon-fiber wings for flight. Often referred to as " ...
developed and built a winged pack with rigid aeroplane-type
carbon-fiber Carbon fiber-reinforced polymers (American English), carbon-fibre-reinforced polymers (Commonwealth English), carbon-fiber-reinforced plastics, carbon-fiber reinforced-thermoplastic (CFRP, CRP, CFRTP), also known as carbon fiber, carbon compo ...
wings spanning about and four small
kerosene Kerosene, or paraffin, is a combustibility, combustible hydrocarbon liquid which is derived from petroleum. It is widely used as a fuel in Aviation fuel, aviation as well as households. Its name derives from the Greek (''kērós'') meaning " ...
-burning Jetcat P400
jet engine A jet engine is a type of reaction engine, discharging a fast-moving jet (fluid), jet of heated gas (usually air) that generates thrust by jet propulsion. While this broad definition may include Rocket engine, rocket, Pump-jet, water jet, and ...
s underneath; these engines are large versions of a type designed for
model aeroplane A model aircraft is a physical model of an existing or imagined aircraft, and is built typically for display, research, or amusement. Model aircraft are divided into two basic groups: flying and non-flying. Non-flying models are also termed st ...
s. He wears a heat-resistant suit similar to that of a
firefighter A firefighter (or fire fighter or fireman) is a first responder trained in specific emergency response such as firefighting, primarily to control and extinguish fires and respond to emergencies such as hazardous material incidents, medical in ...
or
racing driver Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. In North America, the term is commonly used to describe all forms of automobile sport including non ...
to protect him from the hot jet exhaust. Similarly, to further protect the wearer, the engines are modified by adding a
carbon fiber Carbon fiber-reinforced polymers (American English), carbon-fibre-reinforced polymers ( Commonwealth English), carbon-fiber-reinforced plastics, carbon-fiber reinforced-thermoplastic (CFRP, CRP, CFRTP), also known as carbon fiber, carbon comp ...
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. After being lifted to altitude by a plane, he ignites the engines just before he exits the plane with the wings folded. The wings unfold while in free-fall, and he then can fly horizontally for several minutes, landing with the help of a
parachute A parachute is a device designed to slow an object's descent through an atmosphere by creating Drag (physics), drag or aerodynamic Lift (force), lift. It is primarily used to safely support people exiting aircraft at height, but also serves va ...
. He achieves true controlled flight using his body and a hand throttle to maneuver. Jet wingsuits use small turbojets, but differ from other aircraft in that the
fuselage The fuselage (; from the French language, French ''fuselé'' "spindle-shaped") is an aircraft's main body section. It holds Aircrew, crew, passengers, or cargo. In single-engine aircraft, it will usually contain an Aircraft engine, engine as wel ...
and
flight control surfaces Flight control surfaces are aerodynamic devices allowing a pilot to adjust and control the aircraft's flight attitude. The primary function of these is to control the aircraft's movement along the three axes of rotation. Flight control surfaces ...
consist of a human. 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. The engines on the wing must be aligned precisely during set-up, also to prevent instability. An electronic starter system ensures that all four engines ignite simultaneously. In the event of a spin, the wing unit can be detached from the pilot, and pilot and wing unit descend to Earth separately, each with a parachute. Since 2007, Rossy has conducted some of his flight tests from a private airfield,
Skydive Empuriabrava Skydive Empuriabrava is the brand that has been commercially operating Empuriabrava Aerodrome (on the Empuriabrava residential estate of the town of Castelló d'Empúries, Costa Brava, Girona (province), Girona province, Catalonia, Spain) since ...
, in
Empuriabrava Empuriabrava () is a community in the municipality of Castelló d'Empúries, in the Alt Empordà (Costa Brava, province of Girona, Catalonia, Spain). It is located in the Gulf of Roses, surrounded by the Natural Park of the Aiguamolls de l'Em ...
(
Girona Girona (; ) is the capital city of the Province of Girona in the autonomous community of Catalonia, Spain, at the confluence of the Ter, Onyar, Galligants, and Güell rivers. The city had an official population of 106,476 in 2024, but the p ...
,
Costa Brava The Costa Brava (; ; "Wild Coast" or "Rough Coast") is a coastal region of Catalonia in northeastern Spain. Sources differ on the exact definition of the Costa Brava. Usually it can be regarded as stretching from the town of Blanes, northeas ...
), Spain. Rossy's jet pack was exhibited on 18 April 2008 on the opening day of the 35th Exhibition of Inventions at
Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...
. Rossy and his sponsors spent over $190,000 to build the device. His first successful trial flight was on 24 June 2004 near Geneva, Switzerland. Rossy has made more than 30 powered flights since. In November 2006 he flew with a later version of his jet pack. On 14 May 2008 he made a successful 6-minute flight from the town of
Bex Bex (; ; ) is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the canton of Vaud, Switzerland, located in the Aigle (district), district of Aigle. It is a few kilometers south of its sister town municipality of Aigle. History Bex is first ment ...
near
Lake Geneva Lake Geneva is a deep lake on the north side of the Alps, shared between Switzerland and France. It is one of the List of largest lakes of Europe, largest lakes in Western Europe and the largest on the course of the Rhône. Sixty percent () ...
. He exited a
Pilatus Porter The Pilatus PC-6 Porter is a single-engined STOL utility aircraft designed by Pilatus Aircraft of Switzerland. First flown in 1959, the PC-6 was produced at Pilatus Flugzeugwerke in Stans, Switzerland. It has been built in both piston engine- ...
at with his jet pack. It was the first public demonstration before the world's press. He made seemingly effortless loops from one side of the Rhone valley to the other and rose . 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. On 26 September 2008, Rossy successfully flew across the
English Channel The English Channel, also known as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates Southern England from northern France. It links to the southern part of the North Sea by the Strait of Dover at its northeastern end. It is the busi ...
from
Calais Calais ( , , traditionally , ) is a French port city in the Pas-de-Calais department, of which it is a subprefecture. Calais is the largest city in Pas-de-Calais. The population of the city proper is 67,544; that of the urban area is 144,6 ...
, France, to
Dover Dover ( ) is a town and major ferry port in Kent, southeast England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies southeast of Canterbury and east of Maidstone. ...
, England, in 9 minutes, 7 seconds. His speed reached during the crossing and was moving at when he deployed the parachute. Since then he has—in several flights—managed to fly in a formation with three military jets and cross the Grand Canyon, but he failed to fly across the Strait of Gibraltar—he made an emergency landing in the water. 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. The race started with the rally car launching down the rally course while Rossy and his support helicopter climbed to reach altitude, upon which he dropped and ignited his engines and followed the course to race the car. Periodical smoke dashes (such as those used by sky-writers or air force display teams) were used to track his progress. In the onboard footage of Rossy flying the tight and twisty course, one can see how he uses his body parts as control surfaces to perform various maneuvers. On 13 October 2015 a show flight was performed in Dubai. Two jet packs operated by Rossy and Vince Reffet flew in formation with an Airbus A380 jetliner.


Troy Hartman: jet pack and parafoil

In 2008 Troy Hartman started designing a wingless jet pack with two turbojet motors strapped to his back; later he added a
parafoil A parafoil is a nonrigid (textile) airfoil with an aerodynamic cell structure which is inflated by the wind. Ram-air inflation forces the parafoil into a classic wing cross-section. Parafoils are most commonly constructed out of ripstop nylon. T ...
as a wing.


jetpack: jet pack with rigid wings

As of 2013 Fritz Unger in Germany is developing a jet pack called Skyflash with rigid wings about wingspan and two turbojets designed to run on
diesel fuel Diesel fuel, also called diesel oil, heavy oil (historically) or simply diesel, is any liquid fuel specifically designed for use in a diesel engine, a type of internal combustion engine in which fuel ignition takes place without a spark as a re ...
. It is designed for takeoff from the ground using four undercarriage wheels on the front of his chest and abdomen.


JetPack Aviation: wingless jet pack

On 3 November 2015, Jetpack Aviation demonstrated the JB-9 in Upper New York Bay in front of the
Statue of Liberty The Statue of Liberty (''Liberty Enlightening the World''; ) is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, within New York City. The copper-clad statue, a gift to the United States from the people of French Thir ...
. The JB-9 carries of kerosene fuel that burns through two
vectored thrust Thrust vectoring, also known as thrust vector control (TVC), is the ability of an aircraft, rocket or other vehicle to manipulate the direction of the thrust from its engine(s) or motor(s) to control the attitude or angular velocity of the veh ...
AMT Nike jet engines at a rate of per minute for up to ten minutes of flying time, depending on pilot weight. Weight of fuel is a consideration, but it is reported to start with per minute climb rate that doubles as the fuel burns off. While this model has been limited to , the prototype of the JB-10 is reported to fly at over . This is a true jet pack: a backpack that provides jet-powered flight. Most of the volume is the fuel tank, with twin turbine jet engines gimbal-mounted on each side. The control system is identical to the
Bell Rocket Belt The Bell Rocket Belt is a low-power rocket propulsion device that allows an individual to safely travel or leap over small distances. It is a type of rocket pack. Overview Bell Aerosystems began development of a rocket pack which it called the ...
: tilting the handgrips vectors the thrust – left-right & forward-back – by moving the engines; twisting left hand moves two nozzle skirts for yaw; twisting the right hand counterclockwise increases throttle. Jetpack Aviation was started by Australian businessman David Mayman with the technical know-how coming from
Nelson Tyler Nelson Tyler is an engineer and inventor. He was the designer and inventor of the PWC, Wetbike. A personal watercraft that rides like a motorcycle. He has developed gyro-stabilized camera systems for aerial use and won an Academy Award in 2005 ...
, 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. The company now makes two Jetpack models, the JB-10 and the JB-11. They are similar to the JB-9, with upgraded electronics. They both use kerosene/diesel turbojet engines. The JB-10 is designed with two large 200 lb. thrust engines and is described as having an 8-minute flight time, while the slightly longer duration JB-11 has a 10-minute flight time and uses eight smaller 90 lb. thrust engines.


Flyboard Air

Flyboard Air Flyboard Air is a type of jetpack/ hoverboard powered by gas turbines. It was invented by French water-craft rider Franky Zapata, founder of Zapata racing. It achieved a Guinness World Record for farthest flight by hoverboard in April 2016 of ...
, invented by
Franky Zapata Franky Zapata (; born 27 September 1978) is a French personal watercraft pilot who is the inventor of the Flyboard and Flyboard Air, and founder of Zapata Racing. Since 2012, Zapata's efforts have been focused on the development and manufactur ...
, allows flight up to and can reach . It also has 10 minutes autonomy. Zapata participated with his invention during the 2019
Bastille Day military parade The Bastille Day military parade, also known as the 14 July military parade, translation of the French name of , is a French military parade that has been held on the morning of Bastille Day, 14 July, each year in Paris since 1880, almost with ...
. Three weeks later, he crossed the
English Channel The English Channel, also known as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates Southern England from northern France. It links to the southern part of the North Sea by the Strait of Dover at its northeastern end. It is the busi ...
with his device in 22 minutes, including a shipboard refueling midway.


Daedalus Flight Pack

This particular innovation saw two jets attached to the back of an exoskeleton, worn by the operator. At the same time, two additional jets were added to the arms, and could be moved with the arms to control movement. It was devised by Richard Browning of Gravity Industries. In September 2020 it was reported that the
Great North Air Ambulance The Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) is a registered charity and Air Ambulance, air ambulance based in the United Kingdom. It operates a dedicated helicopter emergency service for the North of England with three aircraft. It serves Nor ...
(GNAA) service was considering using this jet suit to enable
paramedic A paramedic is a healthcare professional trained in the medical model, whose main role has historically been to respond to emergency calls for medical help outside of a hospital. Paramedics work as part of the emergency medical services (EMS), ...
s to reach casualties in the mountainous
Lake District The Lake District, also known as ''the Lakes'' or ''Lakeland'', is a mountainous region and National parks of the United Kingdom, national park in Cumbria, North West England. It is famous for its landscape, including its lakes, coast, and mou ...
, 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.


iJETPACK Aeronautics: IJ6180 Jetsuit

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. Its R&D and flight operations are supported by NSW Government, Dainese, Specialist Helicopters and Australian Motorsport Innovation Precinct. iJETPACK's founder, Jennie Bewes is a commercially licensed helicopter pilot that specialises in Safety & Regulatory Compliance and a former corporate innovation leader known for introducing novel products and services such as the World's first big-data insights tool. iJETPACK's engineer, David 'Dakka' Clarke is a former defence (RAAF) engineer who single-handedly built a hydrogen-peroxide fuelled "Rocketbelt" which he flew at Brisbane's EKKA show in 2013, Royal Adelaide Show in 2014 and in China 2018.


Government


Space

Rocket packs can be useful for
spacewalk Extravehicular activity (EVA) is any activity done by an astronaut in outer space outside a spacecraft. In the absence of a breathable atmosphere of Earth, Earthlike atmosphere, the astronaut is completely reliant on a space suit for environme ...
s. One example is the Manned Maneuvering Unit (or MMU), which weighed approximately 300 pounds and was affixed with two propellant tanks that supplied 24 small thrusters with 40 pounds of high-pressured gaseous nitrogen.  It was first used by astronauts Bruce McCandless and Bob Stewart in February 1984. While near Earth a jet pack has to produce a
g-force The g-force or gravitational force equivalent is a Specific force, mass-specific force (force per unit mass), expressed in Unit of measurement, units of standard gravity (symbol ''g'' or ''g''0, not to be confused with "g", the symbol for ...
of at least 1g (a smaller g-force, providing only some deviation from
free fall In classical mechanics, free fall is any motion of a physical object, body where gravity is the only force acting upon it. A freely falling object may not necessarily be falling down in the vertical direction. If the common definition of the word ...
is of little use here), for excursions outside a free falling spaceship, a small g-force providing a small deviation from free fall is useful. Hence much less
delta-v Delta-''v'' (also known as "change in velocity"), symbolized as and pronounced , as used in spacecraft flight dynamics, is a measure of the impulse per unit of spacecraft mass that is needed to perform a maneuver such as launching from or l ...
is consumed per unit time, and not during the whole EVA. With only small amounts of
thrust Thrust is a reaction force described quantitatively by Newton's third law. When a system expels or accelerates mass in one direction, the accelerated mass will cause a force of equal magnitude but opposite direction to be applied to that ...
needed, safety and temperature are more manageable than in the atmosphere in Earth's gravity field. Nevertheless, it is currently worn to be used only in case of emergency: the
Simplified Aid For EVA Rescue Simplified Aid For EVA Rescue (SAFER) is a small, self-contained, propulsive backpack system ( jet pack) worn during spacewalks, to be used in case of emergency only. If an untethered astronaut were to lose physical contact with the vessel, it w ...
(SAFER).


Hydroflight

The 21st century has seen a new approach to jet packs where water is used as a high-density propulsion fluid. This requires a very large mass of fluid that makes a self-contained jet pack infeasible. Instead, this approach separates the engine, fuel and fluid supply from the pilot's flying apparatus, using a long flexible hose to feed the water to the jet nozzle pack attached to the pilot's body. 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. Several hydro jet pack approaches have been successfully tested and put into production. Flow rate can be controlled by a throttle operator on the jetski, or by the pilot using a remote actuator. Hydro jet packs can be operated below the water's surface as well as above it. As of 2013, many hydro jet pack rental businesses are operating in various locations around the world.


JetLev

The JetLev was the first hydroflight jet pack on the market, and its makers were awarded the first patents, in 2008, for hydro jet packs. The JetLev has the appearance of a typical jet pack, with two nozzles on a backpack propelling the rider upwards. It has an umbilicus to the powering jetski that provides the water for the thrust used.


Flyboard

A
Flyboard A Flyboard is a brand of hydroflight sports, hydroflighting device which supplies propulsion to drive the Flyboard into the air to perform a sport known as hydroflying.ExamplesFlyboard Ultimate SupercutPower Board Expert. A Flyboard rider sta ...
has water jets under each of the pilot's feet. An optional feature is a lower-thrust water jet for each arm for greater control. The powerplant is a regular
jetski A personal watercraft (PWC), also called Jet Ski or water scooter, is a primarily recreational watercraft that is designed to hold only a small number of occupants, who sit or stand on top of the craft, not within the craft as in a boat. P ...
. Development for this approach was started in the spring of 2011.


Firefighters

Firefighters in some parts of the world use jet packs which help them to fight fires close to the sea or a water body. The jet packs use water and there is no need for a fire truck or water tank.


Home-made versions

Episode 32 of ''
MythBusters ''MythBusters'' is a science entertainment television series created by Peter Rees (producer), Peter Rees and produced by Beyond International in Australia. The series premiered on the Discovery Channel on January 23, 2003. It was broadcast in ...
'' investigates the
urban legend Urban legend (sometimes modern legend, urban myth, or simply legend) is a genre of folklore concerning stories about an unusual (usually scary) or humorous event that many people believe to be true but largely are not. These legends can be e ...
of an affordable jet pack or rocket pack that can be built from plans purchased on the Internet. Extensive modifications were made by the ''MythBusters'' team due to vagueness in the plans and because of the infeasibility of the specified engine mounting system. The jet pack produced by ''MythBusters'' had two
ducted fan In aeronautics, a ducted fan is a thrust-generating mechanical fan or Propeller (aeronautics), propeller mounted within a cylindrical wiktionary:duct, duct or shroud. Other terms include ducted propeller or shrouded propeller. When used in vertic ...
s powered by
ultralight Ultralight aviation (called microlight aviation in some countries) is the flying of lightweight, 1- or 2-seat fixed-wing aircraft. Some countries differentiate between weight-shift control and conventional three-axis control aircraft with aile ...
-type piston engines. They found it was not powerful enough to lift a person off the ground, and was expensive to build. The plans specified a
Rotax 503 The Rotax 503 is a , inline 2-cylinder, two-stroke engine, two-stroke aircraft engine, built by Rotax, BRP-Rotax GmbH & Co. KG of Austria for use in ultralight aircraft.Raisner, William: ''LEAF catalog'', pp. 6-105. Leading Edge Airfoils, 1 ...
ultralight engine, but they intended to use the more powerful and lighter Rotax 583 engine before a similar lighter unnamed engine was substituted.


In fiction

The concept of jet packs appeared in popular culture, particularly
science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...
, long before the technology became practical. Perhaps the first appearance was in
pulp magazine Pulp magazines (also referred to as "the pulps") were inexpensive fiction magazines that were published from 1896 until around 1955. The term "pulp" derives from the Pulp (paper), wood pulp paper on which the magazines were printed, due to their ...
s. The 1896 novel ''
The Country of the Pointed Firs ''The Country of the Pointed Firs'' is an 1896 book by American writer Sarah Orne Jewett. It is considered by some literary critics to be her finest work. Plot The narrator, a Bostonian, returns after a brief visit a few summers prior, to the ...
'' 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". The 1928 cover of ''
Amazing Stories ''Amazing Stories'' is an American science fiction magazine launched in April 1926 by Hugo Gernsback's Experimenter Publishing. It was the first magazine devoted solely to science fiction. Science fiction stories had made regular appearance ...
'' featured a man flying with a jet pack. When
Republic Pictures Republic Pictures is currently an acquisition-only label owned by Paramount Pictures. Its history dates back to Republic Pictures Corporation, an American film studio that originally operated from 1935 to 1967, based in Los Angeles, California ...
planned to produce a
superhero A superhero or superheroine is a fictional character who typically possesses ''superpowers'' or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero, typically using their ...
serial using its renowned "flying man" scenes as used in ''
The Adventures of Captain Marvel ''Adventures of Captain Marvel'' is a 1941 American 12-chapter black-and-white movie serial from Republic Pictures. The serial was produced by Hiram S. Brown, Jr., directed by John English and William Witney, and stars Tom Tyler as the super ...
'', the character of Captain Marvel was tied up in litigation with the owners of the character of
Superman Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...
. For its postwar superhero serial, Republic used a jet pack in ''
King of the Rocket Men ''King of the Rocket Men'' is a 1949 12-chapter movie serial from Republic Pictures, produced by Franklin Adreon, directed Fred C. Brannon, that stars Tristram Coffin, Mae Clarke, Don Haggerty, House Peters, Jr., James Craven, and I. Stanf ...
''. The same stock special effects were used in other serials. While several science fiction novels from the 1950s featured jet packs, it was not until the
Bell Rocket Belt The Bell Rocket Belt is a low-power rocket propulsion device that allows an individual to safely travel or leap over small distances. It is a type of rocket pack. Overview Bell Aerosystems began development of a rocket pack which it called the ...
in the 1960s that the jet pack caught the imagination of the mainstream. Bell's demonstration flights in the U.S. and other countries created significant public enthusiasm. Jet packs were featured in two episodes ("Turu the Terrible" and "The Invisible Monster"), of the original ''
Jonny Quest ''Jonny Quest'' is a science fiction–adventure media franchise created by Doug Wildey for Hanna-Barbera. It follows the character Jonny Quest, a young boy who joins his scientist father on various extraordinary adventures. The franchise sta ...
'' (1964–1965) animated television series, and are seen at the end of the closing credits. In 1965 a
Bell Rocket Belt The Bell Rocket Belt is a low-power rocket propulsion device that allows an individual to safely travel or leap over small distances. It is a type of rocket pack. Overview Bell Aerosystems began development of a rocket pack which it called the ...
appeared in the
James Bond The ''James Bond'' franchise focuses on James Bond (literary character), the titular character, a fictional Secret Intelligence Service, British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels ...
movie '' Thunderball'' when James Bond played by
Sean Connery Sir Thomas Sean Connery (25 August 1930 – 31 October 2020) was a Scottish actor. He was the first actor to Portrayal of James Bond in film, portray the fictional British secret agent James Bond (literary character), James Bond in motion pic ...
used a jet pack in the pre-title sequence to escape the villains and rendezvous with his French contact. The pack was piloted by
Gordon Yaeger Gordon R. Yaeger (1927-2005) is known for piloting the Bell Rocket Belt at the 1964 New York City World Fair, in the James Bond movie '' Thunderball'', in '' The Reluctant Astronaut'' starring Don Knotts, and on the TV shows ''Gilligan's Island'' a ...
and Bill Suitor. In the Irwin Allen television series ''
Lost in Space ''Lost in Space'' is an American science fiction television series created and produced by Irwin Allen, which originally aired between 1965 and 1968 on CBS. Lightly dramatic, sometimes comedic in tone, the series was inspired by the 1812 J ...
'' (1965–1968), a jet pack was used by members of the ''Jupiter 2'' expedition on several occasions. In 1966 the plot of the 21st book in the
Rick Brant Rick Brant is a series of science-themed adventure and mystery novels following the eponymous character. There are 24 books, all credited to John Blaine, a pseudonym for Harold L. Goodwin and, for the first three books, co-author Peter J. Hark ...
series titled '' Rocket Jumper'' was based on a hydrogen peroxide fueled jet pack. The book included a relatively detailed description of the design including the use of a platinum-metal screen catalyst. In the 1973 film '' Sleeper'', Woody Allen attempts to flee from the police of 2173 with a rocket pack, but he activates it before he can strap it on and it flies away without him. The 1976 television series ''
Ark II ''Ark II'' is an American live-action science fiction television series, aimed at children, that aired on CBS from September 11 to December 18, 1976, (with reruns continuing through November 13, 1977 and reruns returning from September 16, 1978, ...
'' featured a jet pack called the Jet Jumper. In the ''
Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera media franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and Cultural impact of Star Wars, quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop cu ...
'' original trilogy, the bounty hunter
Boba Fett Boba Fett ( ) is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. First appearing in the '' Star Wars Holiday Special'' (1978), where he was voiced by Don Francks, he is an armored bounty hunter featured in both the original and prequel ...
used a jet pack. In the prequel trilogy,
Jango Fett Jango Fett is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise, created by George Lucas. He first appeared as the secondary antagonist of the 2002 film '' Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones'', played by Temuera Morrison. The ch ...
also used a jet pack. ''
The Mandalorian ''The Mandalorian'' is an American space Western television series created by Jon Favreau for the streaming service Disney+. It is the first live-action series in the ''Star Wars'' franchise and begins five years after the events of the fil ...
'' TV series from 2019 has multiple characters using jetpacks, as do various comics, video games, and other television shows in the franchise. 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. It was later adapted into a
motion picture A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, since ...
in 1991. In the 1983 video game
Jetpac ''Jetpac'' is a shooter video game developed and published by Ultimate Play the Game and released for the ZX Spectrum and VIC-20 in 1983 and the BBC Micro in 1984. It is the first game to be released by Ultimate Play the Game, the company which ...
, players had to rebuild a rocket while using a jet pack. In 1988
Cinemaware Cinemaware was a video game developer and publisher. It had released several titles in the 1980s based on various film themes. The company was resurrected in 2000, before being acquired by eGames in 2005. Cinemaware Corp. (1986–1991) The co ...
created the Amiga computer game ''
Rocket Ranger ''Rocket Ranger'' is a 1988 action-adventure game developed and published by Cinemaware. The game's setting is based in the World War II era, allowing the player to control a US Army scientist and setting out to stop Nazi Germany from winning th ...
'' which was ported to several other platforms of the era. In 1991 and 1992
Malibu Comics Malibu Comics Entertainment, Inc. (launched as Malibu Graphics) was an American comic book publisher active in the late 1980s and early 1990s, best known for its Ultraverse line of superhero titles. Notable titles published by Malibu included ''Th ...
published a ''Rocket Ranger'' comic series closely based on the computer game. The
G.I. Joe ''G.I. Joe'' is an American media franchise and a line of action figures owned and produced by the toy company Hasbro. The initial product offering represented four of the branches of the U.S. armed forces with the Action Soldier ( U.S. Army), A ...
action figure launch in 1982 included the JUMP (Jet Mobile Propulsion Unit) jet pack as an accessory. It was also featured prominently in the related ''G.I. Joe'' comic book series and cartoon. Jet packs have been used by the title characters in several episodes of ''
SWAT Kats ''SWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron'' is an American animated television series created by Christian and Yvon Tremblay and produced by Hanna-Barbera. The series takes place in the fictional metropolis of Megakat City populated by anthropomorphic fe ...
'' cartoon series (1993–1994). In the ''
Toy Story ''Toy Story'' is a 1995 American animated adventure comedy film produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures. It is the first installment in the Toy Story (franchise), ''Toy Story'' franchise and the Firsts in animation, firs ...
'' franchise introduced in 1995,
Buzz Lightyear Buzz Lightyear is a fictional character in the The Walt Disney Company, Disney–Pixar Toy Story (franchise), ''Toy Story'' franchise. He is a superhero action figure from an Story within a story, in-universe media franchise. Buzz is recognizab ...
uses a jet pack (which is made of plastic). In the 1997 video game '' Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back'', the titular character Crash operates a jet pack in two main levels: "Rock It" and "Pack Attack". He also uses the jet pack in the final boss fight against Dr. Neo Cortex. In '' Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius'' and its TV counterpart, Jimmy uses a jet pack (which is actually his backpack with built-in jet thrusters). ''
Super Mario Sunshine is a 2002 platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the GameCube. It is the second 3D computer graphics, 3D game in the Super Mario, ''Super Mario'' series, following ''Super Mario 64'' (1996). The game was directed by Yoshiaki Ko ...
'' for the
Nintendo is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto. It develops, publishes, and releases both video games and video game consoles. The history of Nintendo began when craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi ...
GameCube The is a PowerPC-based home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on September 14, 2001, in North America on November 18, 2001, in Europe on May 3, 2002, and in Australia on May 17, 2002. It is the suc ...
, features Mario with an autonomous, water-powered jet pack named the Flash Liquidizing Ultra Dousing Device (or, F.L.U.D.D.) as a key element of navigation throughout the game; in addition to its default "hover nozzle", which allows the titular character to change trajectory or hover in mid-air, it can be upgraded/customized to allow Mario to make an immediate jump boost (the "rocket nozzle"), or allow Mario to increase his speed exponentially while running or swimming (the "turbo nozzle"). The device has also appeared in various remakes and/or ports of the game, as well as in brief cameos or references in other Nintendo and Mario games. In ''
Totally Spies! ''Totally Spies!'' is a French anime-influenced animated spy-fi series created by Vincent Chalvon-Demersay and David Michel mainly produced by French company Zodiak Kids & Family France, with seasons three to five being co-produced with Cana ...
'', Sam, Clover and Alex use a jet pack (which resembles a woman's backpack). The tabletop wargame ''
Warhammer 40,000 ''Warhammer 40,000'' is a miniature wargame produced by Games Workshop. It is the most popular miniature wargame in the world, and is particularly popular in the United Kingdom. The first edition of the rulebook was published in September 1987 ...
'' makes heavy use of jetpacks in many of its armies. Distinctions are made between "jump packs", which are used for assault infantry, and "jetpacks", which are used for heavier units and allow for continuous flight. Jet packs appear in the popular video game '' Halo: Reach'' The jet pack also appears in the 2012 video game ''
Halo 4 ''Halo 4'' is a 2012 first-person shooter video game developed by 343 Industries and published by Xbox Game Studios, Microsoft Studios for the Xbox 360 video game console. ''Halo 4''s story follows a Human genetic enhancement, genetically enha ...
'', developed by
343 Industries Halo Studios (formerly 343 Industries) is an American video game developer based in Redmond, Washington, part of Xbox Game Studios. Headed by Pierre Hintze, the studio is responsible for the Halo (franchise), ''Halo'' science fiction franchise, ...
. Jet packs also appeared in other video games, including ''
Duke Nukem 3D ''Duke Nukem 3D'' is a 1996 first-person shooter, first-person shooter game developed by 3D Realms and published by FormGen for MS-DOS. It is a sequel to the platform games ''Duke Nukem (video game), Duke Nukem'' and ''Duke Nukem II'', published ...
'', ''
Jetpack Joyride ''Jetpack Joyride'' is a side-scrolling endless runner action video game created by Halfbrick Studios. It was released for iOS devices on the App Store on September 1, 2011 and has been ported to other systems. It was released online as a Flash v ...
'', ''
BloodRayne ''BloodRayne'' is a media franchise that originated with an action-adventure video game series originally developed by Terminal Reality and published by Majesco Entertainment which began with the game of the same name in 2002. The franchise ...
'' (worn by Nazi troopers), ''
Tribes The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide use of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. The definition is contested, in part due to conflict ...
'', '' Giants: Citizen Kabuto'', '' Armed and Dangerous'', and the ''Pilotwings'' series, in which it is referred to as a "Rocket Belt". It is also accessible in the video game '' Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas''. ''
Fallout 4 ''Fallout 4'' is a 2015 action role-playing game developed by Bethesda Game Studios and published by Bethesda Softworks. It is the fourth main game in the ''Fallout'' series and was released worldwide on November 10, 2015, for Microsoft Windo ...
'' also has a jet pack power armor feature. ''
Grand Theft Auto Online ''Grand Theft Auto Online'' is an online multiplayer action-adventure game developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It was released on 1 October 2013 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, 18 November 2014 for PlayStation 4 and Xbo ...
'' added a jet pack called "Thruster" as a usable vehicle in a content update on December 12, 2017. Rocketeer is an Allied flying infantry unit in ''
Red Alert 2 ''Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2'' is a real-time strategy video game released for Microsoft Windows on October 25, 2000, as the follow-up to '' Command & Conquer: Red Alert''. ''Red Alert 2'' picks up after the Allied campaign of the first gam ...
''. Many science fiction movies have included jet packs, most notably, ''The Rocketeer'', '' Minority Report'', ''
RoboCop 3 ''RoboCop 3'' is a 1993 American science fiction superhero action film directed by Fred Dekker and written by Dekker and Frank Miller. It is the sequel to the 1990 film '' RoboCop 2'' and the third and final entry in the original ''RoboCop'' f ...
'', ''
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow ''Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow'' (often shortened to ''Sky Captain'') is a 2004 science fiction action-adventure film written and directed by Kerry Conran in his directorial debut, and produced by Jon Avnet, Sadie Frost, Jude Law a ...
'', and ''
Tomorrowland Tomorrowland may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Tomorrowland (Disney Parks), a theme land at a number of Disney theme parks around the world * Tomorrowland (festival), an annual electronic dance music festival in Boom, Belgium * ''Tom ...
''. Running since 2013, ''Adventures in Jetpacks'' is a semi-regularly updated
webcomic Webcomics (also known as online comics or Internet comics) are comics published on the internet, such as on a website or a mobile app. While many webcomics are published exclusively online, others are also published in magazines, newspapers, or ...
in which the cast of characters make regular use of jet packs.


See also

*
Aérospatiale Ludion The Sud Aviation/Aérospatiale SA-610 Ludion (''Ludion'' - Cadet) is a tiny, unorthodox VTOL aircraft demonstrated at the 1967 Paris Air Show The Paris Air Show (, ''Salon du Bourget'') is a trade fair and air show held in odd years at Paris ...
*
Backpack helicopter A backpack helicopter / helipack is a helicopter motor and rotor and controls assembly that can be strapped to a person's back, so they can walk about on the ground wearing it, and can use it to fly. It uses a harness like a parachute harness an ...
*
Bell Pogo The Bell Pogo was an experimental rocket vehicle that was designed by Bell Aircraft for NASA.http://www.thunderman.net/products/entertaining.php Its function was to transport one or two astronauts on the lunar surface. The Pogo never went into prod ...
* History of the jet engine *
Jetpack man Jetpack man (also described as guy in a jetpack and Iron Man) is an unknown person or object observed flying what appeared to be an unauthorized jetpack around the Los Angeles area at least five times from 2020 to 2022. Multiple airplane pilots ...
*
Martin Jetpack The Martin Jetpack was a single-person aircraft under development. Despite its name, it did 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 ...
, despite its name, was a backpack helicopter *
Space Ranger (device) The Space Ranger was a propane-fueled vertical take off personal transporter, similar to a platform jet pack, developed by Richard Timewell, a Canadian sheet metal worker based in a small office at Boeing Field. The transporter was advertised in se ...
advertised in ''Popular Science,'' 1970s *
Wingsuit flying Wingsuit flying (or wingsuiting) is the sport of skydiving using a webbing-sleeved jumpsuit called a wingsuit to add webbed area to the diver's body and generate increased lift, which allows extended air time by gliding flight rather than just ...


References


External links


''Popular Mechanics'' comparison of the TAM Rocket Belt and Jetpack International's Jetpack Aviation (JB-9 jetpack)YouTube video
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jet Pack Vehicles introduced in the 1960s Russian inventions Science fiction themes Aircraft configurations Ultralight aircraft