If there’s one piece of equipment aviation enthusiasts and sci-fi fans alike dream about, it’s the jetpack. For nearly a century, the idea of strapping on a personal flying machine has captivated our imagination—whether in the form of a backpack-sized rocket or a high-tech exosuit like Iron Man.
But where do we stand today after decades of experimentation? And more importantly—how close are we to building a practical electric jetpack? Let’s dive in.
Jetpacks in Our Imagination
The jetpack first entered popular culture in 1928 with Buck Rogers, inspiring generations to picture themselves soaring through the skies. In the 1980s, kids watched Ace McCloud fly with an exoframe in The Centurions. More recently, superheroes like Falcon and Iron Man have kept jetpacks alive in our collective vision of the future.
The appeal is obvious: no aircraft replicates the pure fantasy of flight the way a jetpack does. It feels like having superpowers.
The First Generation: Rocket Belts
The earliest jetpacks relied on rocket propulsion. The famous Bell Rocket Belt of 1961 used hydrogen peroxide as fuel, but flight time was severely limited—just 30 seconds in the air, with the record being 33. While visually spectacular, rocket packs were impractical.
Enter the Turbojet Era
By the late 1960s, engineers turned to turbojets—miniaturized versions of jet engines running on kerosene. This innovation boosted flight times from mere seconds to several minutes.
In April 1969—just months before Apollo 11’s Moon landing—the first free flight of a “Jet Belt” demonstrated over 5 minutes of continuous flight, with speeds reaching 85 mph. Theoretically, it could last up to 25 minutes. Despite the breakthrough, safety concerns and technical limitations caused the military to abandon the project.
Watch the Jet Belt in action here.
Modern Jetpacks That Actually Fly
In recent years, several working jetpacks have emerged:
- Gravity Industries Jet Suit – Uses multiple micro turbojets on the arms and back. Flight time: 5–10 minutes.
- Jetpack Aviation JB10 – Backpack-style system using twin turbojets.
- Jetman Jetwing (Yves Rossi) – A fixed-wing jetpack capable of 160 mph speeds and 13 minutes of flight.
- Flyboard Air (Franky Zapata) – Turbojets mounted on a board, ridden like a hoverboard.
These devices prove that jetpacks are more than fantasy—though they remain limited in duration and practicality.
Potential Applications
Beyond personal thrills, jetpacks could serve real-world purposes:
- Military deployment and evacuation in hostile zones
- Emergency rescues in fires or natural disasters
- Rapid logistics and last-mile delivery
- Paramedics reaching remote or mountainous areas
The technology is still experimental, but the possibilities are vast.
Why Flight Time Is the Biggest Challenge
The biggest hurdle for jetpacks remains endurance. Turbojet-powered suits burn fuel quickly, limiting flight to minutes. Adding wings helps extend range and speed—Yves Rossi’s Jetwing covered 21 miles in just 13 minutes. Even wingsuits equipped with jetpacks drastically improve performance, with Richard Browning hitting 85 mph.
The Electric Jetpack Dream
While gas-powered jetpacks dominate, the holy grail is a battery-powered electric jetpack—quiet, cleaner, and more efficient. But there’s one major problem: batteries simply can’t store enough energy.
Some notable electric experiments include:
- EJ-1S (Electric Jet Aircraft, USA) – Uses 16 electric ducted fans; total weight ~45 kg.
- Copterpack (Australia) – Features two large ducted fans; so far limited to tethered flights.
- Gravity Industries Electric Jetpack – Current prototype lasts only 15 seconds.
- BMW x Peter Salzmann Electrified Wingsuit – Two small impellers on a wingsuit; flight time ~5 minutes.
The key lies in battery innovation and possibly larger, more efficient propulsors. Until then, electric jetpacks remain short-lived experiments.
Looking Ahead
Jetpacks may not yet be part of everyday life, but progress is accelerating. Between turbojet-powered suits reaching new records and early electric prototypes hinting at the future, the dream of personal flight is very much alive.
For now, jetpacks remain a thrilling mix of sci-fi imagination and real-world engineering challenges. But who knows—within a few decades, they might be as common as motorcycles.
So, what’s your favorite jetpack—from fiction or reality? Let us know in the comments!