Mile High Fanny Pack! Martin Jetpack Reaches 5,000 Feet (+Video)
Tuesday, May 31, 2011 at 01:25PM 
Martin Jetpack in a low flight with a real live person strapped in (all photos: Martin Jetpack)
On May 21st 2011, the Martin Jetpack achieved some impressive results in a high altitude flight test, reaching a pretty staggering 5,000 feet! That's a massive leap compared to any other flight tests conducted so far. And, tho the low altitude test pictured above features a real live pilot, the high altitude test had Jetson, their in-house test dummy (somewhat like Myth Busters' Buster) strapped in, and the actual control duties were handled by RC pilot James Bowker, who was riding in a helicopter.
And while your first thought might be that flying the Jetpack unmanned is a bit of a cop out, it's far from it. The unmanned configuration accomplishes the goal of remaining extremely safe in these days of pushing the flight envelope while also proving the UAV aspect of the Jetpack. Glenn Martin and his crew in New Zealand are exploring all the ways this unique aircraft can be used in a remotely piloted mode as well as the eventual goal of manned, recreational flight.
Jetpack in UAV mode firing the Ballistic Recovery System after the high altitude test flight
You still might struggle with the idea of calling a piston engine driving two ducted fans a 'Jetpack', and I understand your struggle... that's why I've moved on to the 'FannyPack' name... well at least part of the time. Some of the hardcore Rocketeers of the world might be frustrated that it isn't really jet-powered, but all things considered, and based on what I see in the video below, the Martin Jetpack is looking pretty impressive as a FannyPack : )
Plus, you get a little rocket action when they fired that BRS to bring the Jetpack back down to earth. It also made for a very interesting opportunity to see how the system would work in an extreme emergency condition requiring the use of the BRS. It's pretty obvious that flying without such a backup would make no sense at all... and after seeing it work in the video, I think it adds several layers of confidence to the concept.
The other thing that really stood out to me was the stability as the Jetpack was climbing. Which by the way, was at about 800 feet per minute. The entire unit looked rock solid in the air, and I think that's very impressive. It makes sense on one hand because it's all a nice small package that actually winds up being fairly dense - it's not a feather in the wind. I'm sure the air was pretty stable for this flight tho, but still, the overall stability looks excellent.
But even more important is the stability of the thrust vectoring systems. That's not a big deal at altitude, but when negotiating a landing, especially if there's turbulent air, you're gonna want some dependable, effective thrust vectoring. So far, it looks like the Martin Jetpack definitely has that.
It's true that a Jetpack that can be bought is still a way off yet, maybe even 18 months. But considering the size of the task that Glenn and his team are facing, I think it's fantastic (no pun intended) that they're still moving forward - and even taking giant steps here lately. Plus, 18 months gives you some time to find the $100,000 or so that they'll be wanting to trade for it : )
Without a doubt, it's gonna be very interesting to see how this project progresses. Truth be told tho, I'm still undecided about whether I'd ever strap the thing on and go flying... but after seeing the video, it's no longer an immediate 'no'. Hopefully they'll have it at Oshkosh again and this time demostrate a real-world flight with it. That'll likely help us all to decide the answer to that question!
or got to the Martin Jetpack homepage
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