Development of Practical Rocketeer

Since the beginning of time man has dreamed to fly as free as birds and escape gravity’s pull. Ancient Chinese Story describing that certain people can be trained with Kung Fu to reduce his weight in air that he can FLY…
There may attempts to caret flying machine for over 1000 years, and most of them did succeed to work. On 1 December 1783 La Charlière piloted by Jacques Charles and Nicolas-Louis Robert made the first manned hydrogen balloon flight.. Since than man can go into the space up sky above flying… After
From the 1920s this dream has been refined in books and film, Particularly I am interested in the movie Rocketeer (1991), A drama love story that happened in 1938. A Rocket was designed by Howard Huges was stolen by mobster’s gang who are pursued by FBI and sooner later there was a lot of exciting flying, fighting between the bad guys and the beautiful romance between Jenny (Jennifer Connelly) and Cliff Secord (Billy Campbell).
The first serious attempts at building a jetpack produced the Bell Rocket Belt dated back to 1950. The Bell Rocket Belt is powered by an expensive and hazardous fuel, needs a light weight pilot, and is hard to control, after 50 years of development can only fly for less than 1 minute.
In 1981, as a New Zealand university student, Glenn Martin started his quest to a build a jetpack. With enthusiasm and commitment Glenn has been able to capture the support of a large network of experts who had the same dream of flying.
On 29 July 2008, the world’s first practical jetpack, was revealed to the world and became an international media sensation. It is the Martin Jetpack! It consists of a tailor made gasoline engine driving twin ducted fans which produce sufficient thrust to lift the aircraft and a pilot in vertical takeoff and landing, enabling sustained flight.
In 2003, the Martin Jetpack captured the interest and commitment of New Zealand’s Top Venture Capital Company; No 8 Ventures.
They are in the final stages of research and development to meet early interest from the defense and civil defense markets. They have conducted over 2,500 successful test flights amounting to more than 100 combined engine hours up the sky over 5,000 Metres...
The unmanned remote-controlled (UAV) version is well-advanced in its development with field trials expected to begin in the second of this year.
Recently, an Australian helicopter pilot Chris Malloy has designed and made a prototype at his backyard for two and half year. A Hoverbike that he claims can achieve speeds of 173 mph and altitudes in excess of 10,000 feet. Sounds like another horizontal version for Rocketeer. He took a BMW Engine, and two horizontal propellers, he can fly for 45 minutes with full tank of gasoline. If that is proven safe and approved by aviation authority, we can buy one to replace your vehicle commuter to between office and home. They will sell at a target price of USD$70,000.00 for the first batch.

In May 2011 A Jetman flew across Great Canyon..this is fast, easy and safe flying machine. after 5 years, I think we will see a lot of Jetman in the sky! Pictures from top; Jetman, Jetpack and Hoverbike.
Great Caynon Snob July 2011