The Martin Jetpack has been developed over the past 35 years, the dream of then university student, New Zealander Glenn Martin. Tests in New Zealand of the initial prototype in 2011 saw the manned jetpack successfully fly at least 1,000 meters off the ground before landing via parachute.
Martin Aircraft were valued at more than $100 million USD when listed on the Australian Securities Exchange earlier this year, having secured investment worth up to $50 million USD from Chinese aerospace group Kuang-Chi Science.
It runs on a V4 200 horsepower petrol engine that drives two ducted fans and can fly for more than 30 minutes at up to 74 kilometers per hour and altitudes of up to 1000 meters. It can carry a commercial payload of up to 120 kilograms.
The simulator, which allowed airshow visitors donning an Oculus Rift headset to experience flying the jetpack, saw volunteers queuing at the Martin stand to have a go. “The idea of having a simulator on the show is really to allow people to experience what the jetpack can actually do. It actually flies the same as the jetpack, so it’s an opportunity for members of the public to see what that experience is all about,” said Coker.
Kuang-Chi Science chairman, Ruopeng Liu, said his company’s investment would help Martin Aircraft deliver “a dream”. According to Liu, “Jetpack is the machine that can really allow people to fly freely and allow people to really use the machine to rescue, searching, and save people’s lives, and it’s very non-disruptive. It’s not like helicopters, which is very bulky, so it’s not like a car which cannot fly. So it’s really something in between and I believe it’s not only a product we are delivering, it’s a dream.”
