New Zealand’s government has issued an “Experimental Flight Permit” which might allow for commercial sales of what is basically a jetpack.
The permit will allow manned flights of Martin Aircraft Company‘s Martin Jetpack P12, a very interesting piece of flight hardware that has been tested by remote control so far. The VTOL (vertical takeoff and landing) equipment is said to reach a height of 1.5 kilometers with a 56km/h cruising speed using a 200 horsepower engine. The P12 has a range of 30 kilometers.
Martin Aircraft Company CEO Peter Coker, speaking to the New Zealand Herald, describes their flight tech as “…essentially a motorbike in the sky, so I imagine anyone who has a snowmobile or a jet ski, this is going to be something they’re going to want in their garage.” He’s not wrong but it should still cost prospective thrill seekers a bundle. A price of $100,000 (R1 million) is being targeted for commercial sales of the Martin Jetpack but it’s not in that region just yet.
TVNZ reports that New Zealand’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said of the test flight “The test flying was subject to strict limitations covering required safety procedures. Other restrictions included that it may not be flown more than 20 feet above the ground or 25 feet above water and is limited to two specific test flight areas over uninhabited land.”
Source: Ars Technica