ARON FINKLESTEIN
Recently, two pioneering companies have been pushing the boundaries of engineering and physics. They have both created jet powered, solo-driven vehicles capable of controlled flight. At this moment the vehicles have been used for demonstration purposes only; however as the companies begin to mass produce their products and hint at their introduction to public markets, one of the frequently asked questions is: "How long before the jet-packs become commercially available and wide-spread?" The prospect of entering a future of jet-pack lanes above cities and flying pizza-deliverers is very exciting.
Gravity Industries Ltd, founded by British engineer Richard Browning, have successfully created what they have named ‘The Daedalus Mark 1 Suit’, a suit powered by 5 turbine jet engines that can reach speeds of over 60 kmph. Flyboard Air, created by Franky Zapata in 2016, is a jet suit with jet engines attached to a foot platform allowing the pilot to reach speeds of 140 kmph. What’s more, Zapata predicts that improvements will soon allow his Flyboard to reach speeds up to 200 kmph. Both companies have alluded to military, industrial and recreational applications of their vehicles. Zapata also believes that his jet suit could be used by first-responders who could fly over tricky terrain or traffic to reach people in need of medical attention.
The jet engines both work similarly, using relatively conventional principles and focusing on light-weight materials. The human body itself has terrible aerodynamics and therefore flight completely depends on the reliability of the propulsion provided by the jet engines. The jet engines use huge amounts of compressed air, combined with kerosene and sparked with electricity in order to create combustion energy. It uses roughly 50 parts air to 1 part kerosene as fuel. The pilot controls the jet suit by changing the shape of the exhaust nozzle. One of the main drawbacks to commercial jet flight is the sound that is created. Both companies have employed audio-engineers who have been tasked with reducing the sound of the engines. They focus on materials and shape to muffle the sound created. However, with jet engines reaching over 150 decibels this is a hard task. Noises over 120 decibels are damaging to our ears so more would have to be done before jet engines can become commercially widespread.
Whilst recreational applications are covered most by the media, it is perhaps the military applications that are most interesting. The US army are in talks with Zapata whilst the French military have so far given him €1.3million. However it isn’t just the military that are interested in the deadly potential of the jet packs; on the Flyboard Air website one of the frequently asked questions is: "Can you fire a weapon while flying it?", to which the French company worryingly replied that it was possible and "part of some of our customers’ development strategy". They also added that they have "alternate flight control ideas to facilitate weapons employment". Perhaps the next article on this topic will not be so positive.