Since the beginning of time man has dreamed of personal flight – the ability to fly as free as birds and escape gravity’s pull.
From the 1920s this dream has been refined in film, books and television, with the jetpack portrayed as the ultimate tool for the freedom of flight.
In the 1950s the first serious attempts at building a jetpack produced the Bell Rocket Belt. But the Bell Rocket Belt has some limitations. It is powered by an expensive and hazardous fuel, needs a light weight pilot, is incredibly hard to fly, and, after 50 years of development can only fly for 30 seconds. It is not the practical jetpack the world has been waiting for.
In 1981, as a New Zealand university student, Glenn Martin started his quest to a build a jetpack that overcame the limitations of the Rocket Belt. With enthusiasm and commitment Glenn has been able to capture the support of a large network of experts who shared his dream.
The rest is history. On 29 July 2008, the Martin Jetpack, the world’s first practical jetpack, was revealed to the world and became an international media sensation.
Since then we have made considerable progress. We are in the final stages of research and development to meet early interest from the defence and civil defence markets. We have conducted over 2,500 successful test flights amounting to more than 100 combined engine hours.
The unmanned remote-controlled (UAV) version is well-advanced in its development with field trials expected to begin in the second quarter of 2011.
The experience gained from these field trials will improve the capabilities of the Martin Jetpack for both manned and unmanned flight.