I know that they are impractical and expensive. Costs aside, suppose I somehow got my hands on a jetpack and decided I wanted to blast off. Do I need a pilot’s license? What kind? Can I rocketeer my way over morning traffic to the office or would I be restricted to taking off and landing at registered airports?
Are there any jurisdictions where the requirements for legality of operating a jetpack are clearly defined (e.g. must have pilot’s license with “jetpack” endorsement, must file flight plan 24 hours in advance, etc.), or is it pretty much a policy vacuum and Congress, the FAA, or equivalent agencies in other countries will make rules if and when jetpack travel becomes practical?
The following answers apply only the US, other nations will almost certainly have different regulations.
IF the jetpack meets the requirements of FAR Part 103 no pilot’s license is required but the airspace you fly in and time of day are restricted. In a nutshell, it has to have an empty weight of 254 pounds or less, a fuel capacity of 5 gallons or less, a top speed in level flight of 55 knots or less, and only carry one person. You can fly it only in the daytime and NOT over congested areas, not around major airports or over large cities. (Full picky details at link)
Since I have a hard time imagining someone wearing a backpack unit of more than 254 pounds I’m going to assume most jetpacks are going to fall under the Part 103 ultralight regulations. If they break any of those it’s most likely going to be either speed or fuel capacity, in which case yes, you’ll need some sort of pilot’s license. Daytime flight under visual flight rules in the US does not require a flight plan though you are free to file one should you desire to do so (under those circumstances a flight plan will alert authorities if you’re late coming back and gives them some idea of where to start looking for you).
Bottom line - yes, in the US they’re legal, please obey all applicable regulations, and even if a license is not required some instruction is STRONGLY encouraged because no one likes to people get hurt.
The rocket pack featured in Thunderball (I think it was) had a maximum flight of either 30 or 60 seconds. How close do you live to work? It’d probably be much less fuss if you just walked there.
No person may operate an ultralight vehicle over any congested area of a city, town, or settlement, or over any open air assembly of persons.
How did they get the clearance to fly that jet pack over the Tournament of Roses Parade several years back? That was most definitely “an open air assembly of persons”.
I’ve known people who’ve done that. The process isn’t particularly difficult but you will have letters to write and forms to fill out.
That’s a case where even if a pilot’s license isn’t required for normal operations having one would definitely be an asset. They’ll also want to make sure if there’s a problem you’ve though about how to handle it with minimal risk to anyone below you.
Well, I was going to suggest the Bell Jet Flying Belt, which used an actual turbine and had a flight time of at least five minutes, and theoretically as long as 25—but alas, it seems it weighed 365 lbs, had six gallons of fuel, and a top speed of 72 knots.
Dangit. Maybe with modern materials, you could shave off some of the weight, put in a smaller fuel tank, and go easy on the throttle. Kinda takes the fun out of dusting off the museum piece, though.
Could probably use it with a Sport Pilot license, although I’m not sure there’s a “jet pack” category for that. If there isn’t you’d need a private license with some sort of specific endorsement.
