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The New Zealand-based aerospace firm developing the “world's first practical jetpack” has listed on the Australian Securities Exchange in advance of the first deliveries of its product during the second half of next year.
Peter Coker, Managing Director and CEO said: “The capital will allow us to focus 100% on the commercialisation of the jetpack. Commercial jetpacks are no longer the domain of science fiction. The dream of Glenn Martin to create a commercial jetpack is about to be realised.”
Glenn Martin conceived the design for the jetpack in 1981. The Martin Aircraft Company was founded in 1998 and initially launched its jetpack for recreational use in 2008. It has been marketing the aircraft for use in the defence and emergency response sectors since early 2013. The jetpack is listed for sale at around £130,000 on the company's website.
According to the firm, the vertical take off and landing aircraft has an automated hover function and can travel at 74 km/h. It has twin ducted fans that produce enough thrust to lift the aircraft off the ground and can hover up to 1,000m above the ground.
The fans are driven by a customised two litre engine that weighs 2kg. The 200 horsepower, two stroke engine features a flat torque curve to help with engine responsiveness. The engine is fuel injected, has a dual capacitor discharge ignition and is powered by premium automotive gasoline mixed with a small amount of 2-stroke oil.
At the target fuel consumption, the device can fly for up to 30 minutes and has a 30 mile range, the company said. When hovering an automated throttle system maintains the desired height.
The entire set-up contains flight and engine displays, a harness, ballistic parachute and energy absorbing undercarriage that can crumble on impact.
Other safety features include a concealed internal roll cage structure with ducts made of a carbon Kevlar hoop to help protect the pilot from any side impacts. The control arms at the front of the aircraft and are designed to snap off in the event of a hard impact for protection.
Those using the aircraft can have a maximum weight of 127 kg and depending on the country of operation will not need a pilots license. At the moment the aircraft's use is restricted to non-urban areas, but the company says it is able to land on rooftops and fly in confined areas.
The company is also developing an unmanned version, called the Skyhook, which will take advantage of the aircraft's heavy payload capability.