• The Speeder: Jetpack Aviation opens pre-orders on jet powered flying mo

    From Larry Dighera@21:1/5 to All on Fri Mar 29 09:18:04 2019
    https://newatlas.com/flying-motorcycle-jetpack-aviation-speeder/58752/

    The Speeder: Jetpack Aviation opens pre-orders on jet powered flying
    motorcycle

    Loz Blain

    March 6th, 2019

    An audio version of this article is available.


    Jetpack Aviation is taking orders now on its US$380,000 jet
    turbine-powered flying motorcycl;e(Credit: Jetpack Aviation)

    VIEW GALLERY - 5 IMAGES
    Jetpack Aviation has leap-frogged its own flying car project with the announcement that it's taking pre-orders now on a self-stabilizing,
    jet turbine-powered flying motorcycle capable of 150 mph speeds, 20
    minute endurance and 15,000 ft altitudes.

    Speeds of 150mph and altitudes of 15,000 feet are theoretically
    possible
    The Speeder will have VTOL capability
    The consumer version - 20 will be made - will use four turbojets in a self-stabilizing...

    The Speeder will fly on kerosene, JetA or diesel fuel
    The Speeder builds on JPA's jet turbine expertise, developed over the
    years working on the company's astounding JB-series jetpacks. It uses
    a cluster of four turbojet engines putting out a combined maximum
    thrust of 705 lbf – enough to lift the 231-lb (105 kg) airframe and a
    pilot up to 240 lb (109 kg).

    Crucially, they're also rigged up to a fly-by-wire control system that
    allows the Speeder to self-stabilize in the air, much like a
    quadcopter drone. Running on kerosene, JetA or diesel, you can get
    yourself between 10 and 22 minutes in the air, dependent on pilot
    weight and density altitude.

    The Speeder will have VTOL capability
    It's got hand controls, a 12-inch touch screen for navigation, and a
    built-in two-way aviation radio system for air-to-air and
    air-to-ground communications. JPA says it will build different
    versions to fit ultralight and recreational categories under FAA law,
    meaning you'll be able to fly the ultralight version with no license
    at all. The experimental category version will need a full pilot's
    license, but JPA is in contact with the FAA, trying to have that
    reduced to a Recreational Pilot Certificate or Sport Pilot's License
    to make life easier.

    Like the JB-series jetpacks – and indeed the Zapata Flyboard – it's
    more or less a tilt-to-accelerate kind of deal, so it'll be
    interesting to see how that's achieved via the controls. In terms of
    safety, well, there's some redundancy built into the system, and it
    can still self-stabilize if one of the jets goes down. Any more than
    that, and you'll be wishing you took the bus that day – but we've
    spoken to JPA CEO David Mayman in the past about ballistic parachute
    systems and death zone recovery options, so we know that safety will
    be high on the company's list of priorities.

    The consumer version - 20 will be made - will use four turbojets in a self-stabilizing...

    It doesn't have fold-down jet wheels and alleged road riding
    capability like Lazareth's possibly fanciful Moto Volante. At 120
    decibels, it's going to be a ton noisier than Dezso Molnar's
    GSXR-powered G2 gyrobike. And at a price of US$380,000, it's gonna hit
    the hip pocket far harder than the Hoversurf Scorpion multirotor or
    the late Larry Neal's sub-US$40k Super Sky Cycle. But it does have
    David Mayman and Nelson Tyler behind it, who have proven their
    personal aviation credentials with hundreds of jetpack flights to
    date, and are taking the whole personal flight thing very seriously.

    They've now got the resources of the Y Combinator program behind them
    as well, so there's every indication Jetpack Aviation is getting ready
    to go big in the coming months and years.

    As to the Speeder, the company plans to build just 20 for the time
    being. You can reserve one yourself now for US$10,000. After that, all production will be dedicated to military and government use. The
    military version will be slightly different, with an additional jet
    turbine for redundancy and extra lift, and the capability to
    remote-fly it as a drone or cargo carrier.

    We plan to catch up with David Mayman in the next few days to learn
    more, but in the meantime, check out a rendered video below.

    Source: Jetpack Aviation:
    https://jetpackaviation.com/speeder-pre-order/

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