In case you missed it, flying costumes a la Iron Man are now rather commonplace. There is a multitude of tasks that are made easier with flight, as seen by the UK ambulance service testing them for reaching difficult locations, the Royal Navy flying between an escort ship and an aircraft carrier, and armed police holding a high-speed chase to apprehend a fictitious criminal.
But now, thanks to a video, we can see an actual jet pack in the way that we’ve always imagined them, complete with a set of jets on the back and two distinct stabilizers that can be moved by the arms. There isn’t much information available about the jet pack itself, other than the fact that it was developed by Gravity Industries, which also supplies the suits and training for the aforementioned jetsuit excursions.
The remarkable thing about this journey is that most Gravity suits use the space in the backpack for fuel, which powers two strong motors on either arm to lift the wearer into the air. It seems like a number more engines were also installed to the back this time.
The flight may appear simple (and a lot of fun), but it is not an easy undertaking. Before utilizing the jetsuit to propel oneself through the air at 88.5 kph (55 mph), you should bulk up because the jets attached to your arms mean that your entire bodyweight rests on your upper body strength.
The fact that Richard Browning, Gravity Industries’ founder, and lead test pilot, was the pilot leaves open the possibility that this was a new version of the suit.
Even though Browning handles most of the flying, Gravity does manufacture custom-fitted jetsuits upon request and instructs the client on how to operate them. Reserved $430,000 (£380,000) is required; perhaps Iron Man outfits are only for the Tony Starks of the world after all.
