It's 2006. Why don't people fly around with jet packs on already?

Question

Chris Rock once made a joke about this lack of Jetsons-like transportation, but it begs investigation.

Answer 1

None exist that can operate for more than a few seconds at a time. The original "jet pack" seen in the early James Bond movie could only operate for 21 seconds before it ran out of fuel. Newer versions are being designed that use tiny jet turbines, but so far they are terribly noisy and will not become practical for transportation until that problem can be solved.

Besides, do you trust the people on the freeway to be flying over your house?

Answer 2

Actually, anyone who knows anything about auto-magnetic levitation knows the lift is for free and that you don't have to roast your own hams, so to speak. (that auto-magnetic levitation being the use of a permanent magnet grid to work inductive lift off of the earth's own magnetic field lines once you have enough forward speed going)

In fact, you don't even need all that really...all you need to do is make a lighter-than-air balloon (think helium folks) that just *barely* has enough lift to support your own weight, shape that balloon in the form of an airfoil so it makes *aerodynamic* lift as well and go for a *run*. *That* idea is in part as old as Ben Franklin. :)

But....really. I think at this point it is all Big Oil's fault. People don't use jetpacks for the same reason they don't use motor scooters--they're afraid that the big Neandertal-wannabe lugs in their SUVs will attack, and that society will approve of it all, because YOUR society has been brainwashed into thinking that Gasoline Addiction is good, and that buying a Motor Vehicle that Supports Terror is Better.

I mean, yeah, you can argue about the whole "are people smart enough to avoid power lines?" issue day and night, but isn't that what vehicle licensing is for anyway? Can we not have a license set up so that folks KNOW what they are to avoid before they are licensed to use these things to fly around?

Really. I could make a safe jetpack tomorrow, and it would be entirely zero-emissions in terms of fuel use. It isn't rocket science anymore folks. :) But folks are too negative, wouldn't buy it and wouldn't take it seriously....

Oh well, your loss. Mine too since I can't get a fair break and get the idea off the ground.

(the idea: auto-magnetic levitation foils--custom made for the wearer's size and weight, and insulated so magnetic emissions are minimized, that a person wears over a heavy vest with a helmet....in the center of the winglike foils, you have a small pod filled with liquid nitrogen, yes, the gas. Yes, it's cold....and you know what? It vaporizes so quickly on superficial contact with human flesh that the only cryogenic threat is from *immersion*, and you can't immerse a whole person in less than two liters of the liquid....which would be sprayed out as an aerosol, from the back, as thrust once the person runs a bit, builds up speed and jumps....to take flight)

Answer 3

Because for the past 4 years, Bush has been spending the money that the Clinton administration had allocated for jet-packs on the war in Iraq. Hopefully we can catch up in 2008 and be back on track by 2010.

Personally, my jet pack is going to be baby powder pink with a sparkly silver chrome accent. So, 4 years from now, if you see me speed by, give me a honk, ya know what i mean? ;)

Answer 4

Good point. When I was a kid they told us we'd have colonies on Mars by this time. Watch the movie 2001, a Space Odyssey, to see where people in the 1960's thought we would be by 2001. Pan Am was making regular flights to the moon. A lot of people now are wondering whatever happened to the future. It isn't here yet.

Answer 5

I remember on my eighth birthday my dad gave me a toy car and said that in the year 2000 people would have cars that could fly. It was an honest belief of many people that the world would be some great futuristic place once we hit the 2000 mark. What a let down.

Answer 6

Why, indeed!

I don't have an appropriate answer other than to say your question is very timely...it was on this date -July 20th, 1969-
that man first landed on the moon, and we heard that now famous line from Neil Armstrong: "...that's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind..."

Was the intended "Space Race" just a over zealous and idealistic plan, or are we just not as advanced as man/mankind hoped to be, technology wise? Your question may border on notion of having to be a rocket scientist to figure out!

Then again, let's hope the whole idea doesn't become as dull as Elton John suggests in his song "Rocket Man" or as scary as David Bowie's "Major Tom".

...with JetPacks, we wouldn't need a certain Scottie now, would we? {Why didn't Captain Kirk wear one? Time and technology-wise, I guess they'd surpassed it...(?)}

"Beam me up, Scottie!"

Answer 7

Nothing is gonna change in the world but the style,music,and some electronics,people flying in jet packs ,that's what 10 year olds think of, but It could happen.

Answer 8

Because some people haven't got the hang of driving yet. Can you imagine flying along and getting cut off by some 80 year old with their left turn signal on?

Answer 9

We are too busy bombing third-world countries and creating pills to keep us from crying while chopping onions to worry about something as silly as improving technology. Besides, who's going to regulate the jet pack highway?? Can't you just see people crashing into each other :)

Answer 10

Silly goose, they aren't releasing the jet backs until next tuesday at 5:00!