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DailyDirt: Personal Flying Machines
from the urls-we-dig-up dept
It wasn't that long ago that people were highly skeptical of the entire concept of human flight. A few crazy people dressed up in bird-inspired outfits with wings and tried to jump from various heights in order to fly or glide -- and they were generally met with mockery. Nowadays, we know just how hard it is to achieve human-powered flight, but it has been achieved -- in several different ways. The Igor I. Sikorsky Human-Powered Helicopter Prize was awarded in 2013, and the Kremer Prize was won back in 1977. If you're not willing to work up a sweat, check out some of these aircraft.
- Martin Aircraft is going to start selling a jetpack designed for first responders like firefighters -- not for recreational use (yet). The company aims to have this jetpack classified as ultralight aircraft, so it won't require a pilot's license. It'll also have a built-in parachute. [url]
- Urban Aeronautics has an autonomous flying drone called the AirMule that can lift over 1,000 pounds of stuff for about 30 miles. A civilian version of this aircraft from its Metro Skyways division is a VTOL personal flying vehicle that's kind of a flying car. [url]
- Singaporean engineering students have built a personal flying machine called 'Snowstorm' -- powered by batteries for short 5-minute flights. We've seen these kinds of personal multicopters before, and we're still waiting for battery technology to make these things fly for more enjoyable amounts of time. [url]
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Ultralight ... and jetpacks... and politics
Specifically in this case, a "Jetpack" doesn't fit the definition of 14CFR103.1(4) by having a stall speed in excess of the allowed maximum of 24 knots. In layman's terms that means "Hey if the jetpack stopped producing thrust, how fast do you glide to keep from plopping into the ground." This is directly related to wing size and even wingsuit flyers have a stall speed in excess of twice that.
So forget about the 5gal fuel limit ... jetpacks will not be flown as ultralights...
Politics:
Personal flying devices have been a dream of lots of people. Don't worry, neither law-enforcement nor the insurance lobby will ever let that be something you can do. There's not going to be any way to "enforce the laws" with that many people able to operate; the insurance companies would hate the unending liability; neither side will allow this to be made lawful.
The next time someone says "personal flying machine" or "flying car" "without needing a license" you can just smile and nod because that's not happening ever.
Ehud Gavron
FAA Commercial Pilot - Helicopter
Tucson AZ US
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Re: There's not going to be any way to "enforce the laws" with that many people able to operate
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Ther is a betterJetpack already out there
Look HERE http://jetpackaviation.com/
Not hard to find - surprised you missed it!
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