GERMANY – A commercially developed jetpack, SkyFlash, is ready for liftoff!
The first commercially developed winged jetpack, Skyflash is ready for mass production and will soon be released to the public. The Department of Homeland Security s has already ordered 10,000 jetpacks to be used by the U.S. Border Patrol and the FBI. for its police, paramedics and fire department. “We’ll all be flying the border very soon,” said Department of Homeland Security Secretary, Janet Napolitano. “It’s another great tool for the U.S. government.”
A group of young German inventors developed the world’s first winged jetpack that can take off from the ground.
Fritz Unger and his friends from Hanover spent more than five years so far developing their one-man, jet-propelled wing. The backpack-mounted aircraft, called Skyflash, is the smallest twin-engined aeroplane ever built.
“It’s the beginning of a new era in air travel,” reportedly said White House Press Secretary Jay Carney. “The White House will be purchasing 10 jetpacks.”
The Department of Homeland Security is in the process of hiring over 1,000 Winged JetPack Agents (WPAs). They have begun training them out near Joshua Tree National Park in California.
These jetpacks are real, and you will be able to buy one in two months!
The Skyflash can hit top speeds of more than 200mph, with a flight ceiling of 26,000ft, easily steered by the movement of the pilot’s body. Air Traffic Controllers will be able to monitor each individual jetpack.
Although Mr Unger has been a pilot since the age of 14, he has always dreamed of flying without the encumbrance of a plane or glider,
The Skyflash’s design is said to be based on the wings of the condor, large broad-winged soaring birds which are able to alter their wing structure to exploit variable wind conditions in their mountainous habitat.
Accordingly, the wings on the Skyflash are composed of three units that separate for more surface area to provide lift on take off then contract in flight for greater speed and stability.
Similar technology is already used on a much larger scale in modern jet airliners.
You strap it on, you fly. It’s that simple. “They developed it so even the dumbest among us can use it,” said aerospace engineer, Jacob Paoli. “Cars will be in the dustbin of history soon enough.”
Skyflash is powered by dual microturbine diesel jet engines built into the so-called ‘WingBody’ backpack section, which also holds the flight computer and control electronics.
Before take-off the pilot puts on the WingBody like a backpack and fastens it to himself, before presumably enlisting a helper to attach the wings, which also contain the fuel tanks, using a quick release system.
Across his front sits the landing gear, which has four 10in off-road tires the Skyflash team claim is ‘able to cope with potholed grass runways’.
Controlling the Skyflash is achieved via a graphical user interface attached to the flight computer and a throttle in the pilot’s right hand that looks like those which come with cheap remote control cars.
Once in the air, the pilot steers the Skyflash by shifting his body weight. The angle of climb is controlled by bending your knees to dip your boots into the exhaust.
‘The Skyflash is easy to transported to your local airport and put together there with just a few strokes of work.
“You take off lying comfortably on your 10in off-road lading gear. After just a few moments you get airborne, harvesting the power of the two turbojet engines working in your back,” a SkyFlash rep told WWN.
Landing is extremely easy and if there’s an emergency there is a secure parachute system.
The price at the moment is $100,000 per jetpack, but the company hopes to bring the cost down dramatically in the very near future.
Do you hate traffic? Do you want to fly?
Then strap on some wings, baby!
This looks like a goer as it seems to have overcome the icarus effect that has plagued developments of this type for thousands of years using aluminum instead of wax and feathers is a brilliant step forward.I am sure costs of these machines could be cut dramatically if they are armed (for protection against bad guys only) then the NRA would subsidies them.
The US government has been working on something like this for years. I can remember seeing and article for something similar back in the 80's. ;-p
The pilot is Fritz Unger. A german student with some special ideas… He was CEO at Fusystems, a german company which produced microwind turbines for household installations. Now the company becomes insolvent. The turbines – developed by Mr. Unger – had considerable deficiencies. Many people lost a lot of money. So be careful with these "German Wunderkind".