Australian entrepreneur David Mayman became the first person to fly around New Yorks Statue of Liberty in a jetpack, a recent video shows. Maymans JetPack Aviation company, which claims to have invented the worlds only true jetpack, released a video on YouTube showing him flying around the New York landmark.
According to its website, the JB-10 Mayman used in the stunt can reach altitudes of up to 10,000ft (3,000m) and speeds of 100mph (160km per hour), while staying airborne for up to 10 minutes at a time, depending on the pilots weight.
It is capable of vertical take-off and landing, powered by its jet turbine-powered backpack, making it the only true jetpack according to the developers. Other jetpacks to date, the company says, are powered by rocket fuel, too large in size to be called a jetpack, or either requires the extra momentum or having its pilot to jump from high altitudes.
In contrast the JB-10 is fuelled by kerosene or diesel, and the current version requires no license to fly. The company says it has been working on the JB-10 for the past 10 years, and its efforts are documented by Emmy-award-winning producers of Firelight Productions and Paper Bark Films. The film is titled Rocket Compulsion and is scheduled to get released in mid-2016.
