# We were promised jet-packs! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 8, 2011, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-were-promised-jet-packs/605547 "2011-12-08T19:43:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2011, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-were-promised-jet-packs/605547/1 "2011-12-08T19:43:44Z")
OK. [Here they are](http://www.geek.com/articles/geek-cetera/jetpacks-go-commercial-offering-33-seconds-of-flight-for-155000-2011127/). ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2011, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-were-promised-jet-packs/605547/2 "2011-12-08T19:50:40Z")
I though you were talking about this guy, amazing shit: > **[Video: Jetman Flies in Formation With Actual Jets](https://www.wired.com/2011/12/video-jetman-yves-rossy-flies-formation-with-jets/)** > > Yves Rossy continues honing his skill with his carbon-fiber jet-wing backpack, flying in formation with two Breitling jets. ---
**Author:** ![RalfCoder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f1d935/32.png) [@RalfCoder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RalfCoder)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2011, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-were-promised-jet-packs/605547/3 "2011-12-08T19:54:11Z")
I’ll settle for the [JetLev](http://jetlev.com/) water-powered jet pack. You get 30 minutes of flight time, for about $140,000 US, I think. Yeah, you can’t go more than 25 feet or thereabouts, but if you only have 30 seconds of flight time on the other two, how high do you want to be when you run out of fuel? Besides, you can go to the nearest gas station and refuel this. Where do you go to get fuel-grade peroxide? OK, one uses jet fuel. Do you know the nearest airport that services jets? Think they’ll be happy to see you roll up and ask to “fill 'er up!” when it takes maybe 4 gallons of fuel? ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2011, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-were-promised-jet-packs/605547/4 "2011-12-08T19:57:12Z")
The guy is going to kill himself, probably by hitting a bird, but there are several videos of him flying his little portable man-jet all over the place. It is not faked, just insane. ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2011, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-were-promised-jet-packs/605547/5 "2011-12-08T20:21:44Z")
I, for one, welcome our new jetpack-riding overlords. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2011, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-were-promised-jet-packs/605547/6 "2011-12-08T20:47:14Z")
Very cool. Maybe before I die, they’ll be affordable. Just think, it took less than 50 years for computers to go from unaffordable behemoths to notebooks. Are the jetpacks customized based on the weight of the user? I would think it would take more lift (and thus more fuel and shorter flights) for a bigger person. ---
**Author:** ![Dread\_Pirate\_Jimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dread_pirate_jimbo/32/3897_2.png) [@Dread\_Pirate\_Jimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dread_Pirate_Jimbo)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2011, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-were-promised-jet-packs/605547/7 "2011-12-08T20:50:31Z")
Oooooh, I finally know what I want for Christmas! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2011, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-were-promised-jet-packs/605547/8 "2011-12-08T21:06:13Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > OK. [Here they are](http://www.geek.com/articles/geek-cetera/jetpacks-go-commercial-offering-33-seconds-of-flight-for-155000-2011127/). 30 seconds though? Fifteen seconds of lift and you better be heading back, or else. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2011, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-were-promised-jet-packs/605547/9 "2011-12-08T21:36:25Z")
It’s just a stepping stone towards my flying car. ---
**Author:** ![voguevixen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5ac83/32.png) [@voguevixen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voguevixen)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2011, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-were-promised-jet-packs/605547/10 "2011-12-09T02:50:15Z")
Funny this comes up now. When I was visiting my parents over Thanksgiving they took me to a local trivia competition they go to weekly at the nearby golf club. One of the questions was something along the lines of what spaceage device was used in these movies (one was James Bond: Never Say Never) and out of nowhere I thought “Jet Pac?” Won us $25 I did. Saw an actual real-life jetpack in action when I was a kid at the 1982 Tennessee World’s fair. This in addition to the world’s largest Rubic Cube and a robotic Heinz ketchup bottle that dispensed Heinz pickle pins. ---
**Author:** ![EvilTOJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee59a6/32.png) [@EvilTOJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilTOJ)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2011, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-were-promised-jet-packs/605547/11 "2011-12-09T07:11:05Z")
Good luck buying the right kind of hydrogen peroxide without hazmat certifications and the FBI investigating you. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2011, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-were-promised-jet-packs/605547/12 "2011-12-09T15:26:36Z")
I share [Randall Munroe’s sentiments](http://xkcd.com/864/) on this subject. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2011, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-were-promised-jet-packs/605547/13 "2011-12-09T15:38:38Z")
Everytime I see one, the linked pictures included, the operator is always wearing a slick, one piece flight garmet somewhat akin to a ski suit. So does this mean using one while wearing street clothes would be inadvisable? What, would I take off with pants but land naked? ---
**Author:** ![Llama\_Llogophile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2011, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-were-promised-jet-packs/605547/14 "2011-12-09T16:54:15Z")
As a pilot, the thought of these things terrifies me. If I have 30 seconds of fuel I want to be landing, not taking off. ---
**Author:** ![markm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de053/32.png) [@markm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markm)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2011, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-were-promised-jet-packs/605547/15 "2011-12-09T17:17:38Z")
Related song: [Tim Wilson - Jetpack - YouTube](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1SCu9yiBlo) ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2011, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-were-promised-jet-packs/605547/16 "2011-12-09T18:25:06Z")
> [@markm](#): > > Related song: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1SCu9yiBlo](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1SCu9yiBlo) Can’t youtube at work, is it by [these guys](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/We_Were_Promised_Jetpacks)? ---
**Author:** ![markm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de053/32.png) [@markm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markm)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2011, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-were-promised-jet-packs/605547/17 "2011-12-09T18:27:11Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > Can’t youtube at work, is it by [these guys](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/We_Were_Promised_Jetpacks)? Sorry. :smack: I hate when people don’t put some description to what they post, especially when it’s youtube, and I’ve done it twice today. Anyway, no, it’s not them. It’s comedian Tim Wilson. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2011, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-were-promised-jet-packs/605547/18 "2011-12-10T04:54:35Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > Can’t youtube at work, is it by [these guys](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/We_Were_Promised_Jetpacks)? Finally! ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2011, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-were-promised-jet-packs/605547/19 "2011-12-10T06:46:18Z")
I don’t know that I’d call it a jetpack,given its bulk, but the [Martin Jetpack](http://martinjetpack.com/)is quite impressive ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2011, 9:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-were-promised-jet-packs/605547/20 "2011-12-10T09:15:20Z")
> [@Princhester](#): > > I don’t know that I’d call it a jetpack,given its bulk, but the [Martin Jetpack](http://martinjetpack.com/)is quite impressive That is so damn cool! How long can it stay airborn? All it needs is machine guns. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-were-promised-jet-packs/605547.md?page=2)