We’ve all dreamt, with tears in our eyes, of one day flying with a jet pack. The inherent danger of falling and/or exploding were almost as much as of a deterrent as the price tag. Now, that dream is closer to our grasp. This system, looks like it is basically just a pump that drags along behind you pushing water through nozzles on your back. You can see a video of someone flying around on one here. We think that the theme song should actually come with the unit and be broadcast at all times.
This brings tears to my eyees.
Damn awesome. Must be one hell of a pump he’s dragging along behind himself there, I wonder how long it can run for?
That is one of the coolest things I’ve seen in a long time! I’m sure someone will pick up on that and market those.
You can still get seriously hurt falling 20 feet on to water, but not as hurt as hitting pavement.
Flash Liquidizing Ultra Dousing Device, anyone? (FLUDD)
It made me smile….
Thinking of the 30 foot 40 mph faceplant-in-the-water footage that’s sure to be coming soon.
I’d still try it out though…
looks like fun
You’d pummel the shit out of a swimmer if you flew over him.
It’s basically a fire hose lifter like the Mythbusters used to lift a car. dangerous stuff if used irresponsibly.
I laughed, I cried, I hate it, I love it
richard branson will be flying one over the english channel soon
Also Sprach Zarathustra by Richard Strauss
(the theme music in case you’re wondering)
The technology to do that has been around for 100 years; makes you knock yourself in the head and say “Why didn’t I think of that?!?!”
Now I know what I want for Christmas.
>that is not a hack
please define what a “hack” is, in your own words.
meh, old news.
the god of gaffer-tape, macgyver, did that in the final episode. him and his (newly found) long lost son used a couple of industrial pressure washers with steering wheels lashed with seat belts as a frame to blast out of the hold of a ship they were stuck in thanks to the bad guys.
i wonder what other old hacks from mulleted wonder are due for revival..
this may actually be practical for firefighters, they already have all the pumps and water onhand, it could serve as a way to send firefighters up on a roof quicker then a ladder truck can deploy.
I don’t know how practical it would be for fire fighters unless they’re working near a lake, river, etc. They would need a huge water supply like that since putting fires out takes much longer than most people think. That said, I’m sure there’s some application that they could have for it.
>>Flash Liquidizing Ultra Dousing Device, anyone? (FLUDD)<< anongcb….I like it! Actually, no I love it!
O…and yea, I cried. I’m a physicist/hacker, so I’m thinking of my own little design now…hehe.
Super Mario Sunshine!!
That sure looks like fun :)
“I don’t know how practical it would be for fire fighters unless they’re working near a lake, river, etc. They would need a huge water supply like that since putting fires out takes much longer than most people think…” lots of major buildings have hookups that draw water from multiple spots on the grid, aswell as fire hydrants, when fire fighters arive at a scene the first thing they do is hook into these as fast as possible, so it’s not that unreasonable. also I saw a show about the fire fighters in venice, and they have crazy acrobatic fire fighters that take sectional ladders and set them up, climbing over each other to attach each section of the ladder. this would be potentially useful in venice..
Not to mention for the coast guard and navy for boarding non cooperative ships.
as a fire fighter i can only see this being used in river or lake environments where the water supply is nearly endless. a “small” fire truck can push 1200 gallons a minute or better and most trucks only have maybe 1000 gallons on board. not to mention the average fire fighter carries upwards of 100 lbs of gear when they’re fully suited up. there is also the bulky (and heavy) air pack we have to wear.
I can already tell you that no city fire fighter is going to use their water supply to lift a man and his gear 30′ when they can use a ladder and save that water for a fire. especially considering when you have multiple engines pulling off a city water grid there are unpredictable pressure drops. obviously this would lead to unpredictable drops in altitude as well.
its a really neat idea, but not for fire fighting. while the jets might put out the fire the heat plume over the fire and subsequent steam cloud would cook the wearer and everyone else alive.
there is a helluva lot more to fire fighting than putting the wet stuff on the hot stuff.
if they coupled the pump base with a jet ski body it might be better used for high speed shore patrol. that way the jets wouldn’t have to drag the base along.
Looks like this is the original patent;
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7258301.html
Freaky and amazing all in one package.
Where do I buy?
Yep, pretty much immediately thought of Mario Sunshine!
i wonder how long till mythbusters does this one?
why would mythbusters touch it not a myth, hoax, or fake in any way
as fun as that looks like it is to play with, it sucks that he has to be tied to that jet ski looking thing in the water. what’s the fun of a jet pack if you’re on a leash?
What’s the fun of a jetpack that runs out of gas at 50 feet? I’d rather have a great ride that has its limits than a doodad that will take me a few feet in the air and then run out of fuel.
This looks like a blast, if you’ll pardon the pun. Much more fun than skiing. :)
You arn’t gonna die from falling 20 feet, people jump off diving boards that high all the time.
Really awesome..
but what makes me wonder is the range.how can you travel long distances with a pump hanging down your back. i have earlier done a post on jetpacks, do read it
“Super Mario Sunshine!!
Posted at 8:18 pm on Jan 29th, 2009 by PiNG”
Thank you ping.. i was beginning to think nobody had commented on that lol. Too bad it doesn’t come with a big water jet gun too…. that’d be badass.
I’m cautious – unless that ‘jetski thing’ is ABSOLUTELY MASSIVE it would have a hard time putting out enough pressure thru a 6 inch bore fire hose. Seriously, you’re lifting rider, ‘metal backpack’, and 20 feet of 6 inch hose full of water (weighs a LOT). A fire truck has a hard time putting out that much water with a THOUSAND HORSEPOWER. the exhaust on that tailing ‘engine pod’ is simply not putting out the exhaust it would need to. Not saying its impossible, its just really fishy.
Superb! Great implementation and better idea.
>A fire truck has a hard time putting out that
>much water with a THOUSAND HORSEPOWER.
At first I thought a 500cc Motorcycle engine would be more than enough, but the more I think about it the more I realize you are probably right; that must take a *lot* of power!
I’d hate to be flying along without a care in the world, and suddenly get a bunch of seaweed caught in the intake.
Seems like it’s special effects computer animation sometimes
This can run up to 4-5hours on a single tank of fuel. It’s extremely safe and has a gauge to show you how much fuel is left. There are many safety features built into this unit.
This isn’t fake. Trust me.
norm li < are you aware of any more info on the actual design or pump used. If so please post links as I am highly interested in building one. Thanks
http://www.jetlev-flyer.com/ – just in-case you all were wanting some more info, the site is pretty basic, but is more proof that it is a working product atleast.
I emailed them, they start at $120,000.00 for the basic model and go up from there. YIKES! Thats a lot of cash for a pump, motor, hose, some coupleings and some VERY basic electronics. I just can’t see that kind of money for this, it is WAY WAY WAY OVER PRICED! I’d bet I could build one from used off the shell parts hacked together for under $5000.00 Hmm… maybe I’ll do just that. Oh, I ran some numbers on this thing and basicaly you’re looking at a pump 8″x6″ moving 3500 gallons a minute, 6 inch hose @ 50 ft of head. Could probably use a pump from a jetboat coupled with a small block V8 motor, should get within the range needed.
It’s great! You can now fly like a kite.. Hanging in the air, feels the fresh air above.
“The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched – they must be felt with the heart.”