» Jetpack - make it yourself or buy it

The jetpack is a technological device, thanks to which people managed to learn to move in space in a non-standard way. A jetpack is a prototype of a rocket engine. Structurally, the device is made using the same technologies for generating thrust due to the discharge of reactive gases. But the peculiarity of the jet module in the form of a backpack is that it is applicable exclusively for one person. So, is it possible to make a jetpack with your own hands?

As always, it all started with science fiction literature and cinema. In a modern interpretation, the idea of ​​a jetpack was picked up by the creators of computer games. As a result, it came to real inventions, starting in the 20s of the last century, with the continuation of the techno-epic to the present day.

Testing of invented rocket packs, as a rule, takes place with the participation of volunteers. A rare engineer-inventor is willing to risk personally testing such controversial equipment.

The topic of rocket packs excites modern society incredibly. In the future, we see massive sales of rocket modules for personal use and endless queues for such installations. The backpack boom is comparable to the beginning of the era. But the rates on jetpacks cannot be compared with those on automobiles.

The personal use rocket pack was first mentioned in 1928. Then a popular magazine publication published the science fiction novel “Armageddon 2419” on the pages of its next issue. The plot of the film placed great emphasis on rocket packs as a means of transportation in the near future. In fact, the author of the story turned out to be right.

However, the creator of the novel did not guess the date of the first tests of missile systems for personal use. The pioneer here is considered to be the American Thomas Moore, the inventor of the Jet West apparatus, who in 1952 was the first to manage to stay in the air for 2 seconds. Thomas had a rocket pack over his shoulders.

So far, it is only possible to see a person flying without problems only on the film sets of Hollywood directors making science-fiction films with flying heroes.

Jetpack design

The history of the design of such devices has preserved information about two types of prototypes:

1. Equipped with a rocket module (Rocket Belt).
2. Equipped with a turbojet module (Jet Belt).

The design of devices of the first type is characterized by a simple design. It was this factor that became the reason for the high popularity of Rocket Belt.

If desired, even the possibility of assembling a classic design in a handicraft production environment is not excluded. But the advantageous factor of Rocket Belt negates another point - a significant limitation of flight time.

The record for these devices is no more than 30 seconds of flight. At the same time, the consumption of hydrogen peroxide is incredibly high. Therefore, the scope of application of devices such as Rocket Belt is so far limited only by the boundaries of demonstration shows. Here we can recall the US Olympics (1984), where a demonstration flight was demonstrated.

Now there are already modifications that are more advanced than the one in the picture. Capable of moving a person through the air for about 1 hour

Elements of the Rocket Belt jet module:

• durable corset (fiberglass),
• fastening belt system,
• chassis based on light metal tubes,
• a pair of hydrogen peroxide cylinders,
• a cylinder filled with compressed nitrogen,
• rocket module on hinges.

Elements of the rocket module (Jet Belt):

• gas generator,
• jet nozzles (2 pcs.),
• control levers (2 pcs.),
• rotary rod,
• fuel supply control mechanism,
• jet nozzle control mechanism.

Jetpack: Technology Basics

The rotary rod raises the fuel filling valve. Nitrogen gas with a pressure of 40-50 atmospheres crushes a mass of hydrogen peroxide. The substance rushes into the generator chamber. There, in the chamber, there is active contact between silver plates treated with samarium nitrate and hydrogen peroxide filling the chamber.

Test flight among skyscrapers with a Rocket Belt rocket pack

The contact is accompanied by an active reaction and contributes to the rapid formation of a vapor-gas mixture. The resulting vapor-gas environment of high temperature and pressure rushes through the channels into the area of ​​the jet nozzles.

Here the gas mixture expands sharply, accelerates to supersonic speed, and is thrown out. A jet thrust effect is created, thanks to which it is permissible to influence an object, in particular, to lift the object into the air.

Turbojet version of the device (Jet Belt)

A device of a slightly different configuration - a turbojet backpack for personal use, was invented in 1969. The prototype of the WR-19 turbojet unit, weighing 31 kg, was created by engineers Wendell Moore and John Hulbert.

Experiments with this modification of the turbojet pack continue to this day. There are positive results, but the cost of equipment does not allow the turbojet pack to be put into mass production

The first tests of the Jet Belt prototype were carried out the same year and obtained interesting results - a flight of a distance of 100 meters at a seven-meter altitude.

Jet Belt energy is based on mixing kerosene and air. The mixture is compressed to several tens of atmospheres and supplied by a compressor to the working chamber - one of the two working compartments of the apparatus. The second compartment is dedicated to the cooling module, which makes up the cooling circuit of the combustion chamber.

The air-kerosene mixture fills the combustion chamber and ignites. The resulting jet stream rushes out through the nozzles. The nozzle control mechanism makes it possible to regulate the strength and direction of the jet flow.

The turbojet design is characterized by pronounced efficiency. This installation option shows the best flight parameters: duration, acceleration, altitude. But turbojet packs have inherent system complexity and significant financial production costs.

It is even more impossible to make such devices with your own hands. This requires unique equipment and specialists. Unless you just try to build a rocket launcher yourself purely for experimental purposes.

DIY jetpack

The experimental jetpack design is essentially made by hand within one to two working days. To produce equipment, standard metalworking skills are sufficient.

It is quite possible to do such an installation, which is relatively simple from a constructive point of view, with your own hands in a couple of days. There is no need to have professional knowledge

The set of necessary parts for a home-made device differs significantly from the set that is required for the production of truly “lifting”, professionally made models. The assembly mechanic will need:

1. Two metal nozzles.
2. Steel strip (400x40x5).
3. Tin sheet (500x500x0.7).
4. Steel studs (2 pcs.), bearings (4 pcs.).
5. Propane cylinder (small capacity).
6. Gas distribution manifold.
7. Two small-sized 12V electric motors.
8. High pressure hose.
9. Radio control system.

The main point in this matter is that the homemade assembly of a jetpack as part of an experiment allows you to better understand the operating principle of devices of this type. Also, the potential assembler will be able to essentially assess the feasibility of the project.

Turbine diagram: 1 - intake blade; 2 - high pressure compressor; 3 — high pressure compressor shaft; 4 - high pressure turbine; 5 - low pressure compressor; 6 — low pressure compressor shaft; 7 - combustion chamber; 8 - low pressure turbine; 9 - nozzle

It should be noted: the work of assembling equipment is quite dangerous and involves the practice of using flammable substances. Therefore, before attempting to repeat the experiment, all necessary safety precautions should be taken.

Preparation of components and assembly

Nozzles suitable for a jetpack turbine can be found on old processing equipment that was used, for example, in the dairy industry. Thus, the designs of old cream and milk dispensing machines contain a lot of suitable parts.

These are the parts taken from old equipment that, after appropriate processing, can easily be transformed into nozzles for the power turbine of a future aircraft

Old, rusty nozzles must be cleaned, carefully processed, and sanded. These operations are easy to carry out using widely used instrumental equipment. You will need to drill holes on the sides of the nozzles to connect the gas distribution manifold bushings.

Small electric motors are located inside the jetpack nozzles. The motors are equipped with a long shaft, along the entire length of which there is a row of impellers. The shaft with impellers is mounted on installed support bearings. The shaft is made from metal pins, and the impellers are made from sheet metal.

Impellers of different diameters are made from sheet metal. A round shape is cut out, divided into sectors, then the work plates are cut with scissors

The prepared nozzles are fastened together by welding with a metal strip. The internal spaces of the nozzles are connected through a gas distribution manifold.

The parts of the gas distribution manifold are turned on a lathe. Hollow threaded bushings, made with your own hands, are easily assembled into a single structure.

In this way - by ordinary drilling with a drill - hollow bushings of the gas mixture distribution manifold are made. A thread is cut for the inter-sleeve connection

The collector design also contains:

• check valves,
• injectors,
• mechanisms for igniting the gas mixture.

Gas (propane) enters through the manifold into the working area of ​​the jetpack nozzles from a small propane cylinder. The volume of the cylinder is enough for 30-40 minutes of intense action.

Fan control system

By adjusting the rotation speed of the fan impellers (turbines), it is convenient to increase or decrease the power of the jetpack. Therefore, the experimental design is equipped with a radio transmitter and receivers, thanks to which the fan motors are controlled.

Option for controlling the rotation speed of turbine electric motors. Transceiver radio equipment is used, which is equipped, for example, with children's radio-controlled toys.

The transceiver module can be purchased ready-made. Quite suitable receiving and transmitting devices are sold inexpensively through popular online stores.

The fan motors are connected through the controller circuit to the signal receiver. gas mixture ignition system.

During the experiment, the transmitter is located at an arbitrary distance. Subsequently, if it comes to a real takeoff, the device will be attached to the pilot’s body.

Jetpack tests

That's all, actually. A self-made jetpack was successfully tested at home. True, the usual trade steelyard acted as a load moved in space.

Using a simple device - an electronic scale, we were able to determine the power of a home-made jetpack. As can be seen on the scale display, the pulling force was slightly more than 6 kg

Judging by the steelyard scale, the thrust force of the self-assembled turbine slightly fell short of the value - 10 kg. However, even this test result allows us to hope for the future. Reliable ones are truly capable of turning reality. Videos as proof

Jetpacks must lift the passenger to a sufficiently high altitude and hold it there for some time - because of this, the likelihood that an accident (for example, an explosion of a hydrogen peroxide tank or control problems) will be fatal is greatly increased. Despite the fact that the jetpack industry has developed quite rapidly in recent years, this issue has not yet been resolved: which is why most jetpack tests take place over water.

Jetpack

The principle of operation of a jetpack is quite simple. Concentrated hydrogen peroxide is contained in scuba-type cylinders under compressed air pressure. The pilot controls the valve, which opens the peroxide to the outside. Next, hydrogen peroxide is supplied to the combustion chamber analogue. There is a catalytic coating inside the chamber; upon contact with it, peroxide immediately decomposes, releasing a large amount of heat into oxygen and water vapor. Superheated steam and gas from the combustion chamber enter the nozzles, this gives thrust. The position of the nozzles, as well as the opening of the throttle valve, is controlled by the pilot. As a result, he has two handles in his hands, like motorcycle handles. The scheme with a catalyst and peroxide is simple, since it does not require fuel ignition systems (or fuel in general). Do not forget that concentrated hydrogen peroxide is dangerous and expensive, and the catalytic liner itself is also expensive and must be changed from time to time, as it burns out. The main thing is that it does not burn out during the flight, otherwise the thrust will stop.

Jetpack. Scheme.

Jet propulsion is based on the conversion of the internal energy of the fuel into the kinetic energy of the exhaust gases, which provide the jet force. In fact, the usefulness of such devices for human flight is very limited, since it is difficult to ensure reliable stabilization and controllability for all possible conditions and possible piloting errors, and their speed is low (there are no wings to balance the force of gravity in horizontal flight).

First death

However, enthusiasts still take to the air on jetpacks without any additional protection above the ground. The incident, which occurred in Puerto Rico, is the first known fatal jetpack accident to date. The details of what happened have not yet been reported: for unknown reasons, Riches's jetpack exploded when he was at an altitude of about seven meters. After the fall, he was taken to a local hospital, where he died from his injuries. Apart from Riches himself, no one was harmed by the failure of the device.

Jetpack after a fall.

Hoverboards

One of the most famous enthusiasts in the field of jetpack development is the founder of the Zapata company, Frankie Zapata. In August this year, on his second attempt, he managed to fly across the English Channel on his jetpack: the entire journey took 22 minutes. His hoverboard Flyboard is a platform on which the pilot stands with his feet and is secured to it. The device uses four main turbojet engines in the center, as well as two lower-thrust side engines to stabilize the flight. The hoverboard uses kerosene as fuel, which is placed in a tank in a backpack worn by the pilot. The hoverboard maintains a stable position partly due to its own stabilization system, and partly due to the movements of the pilot. The maximum flight speed on Flyboard Air is 170 kilometers per hour.

Other companies are also developing personal jets. For example, JetPack Aviation has created a jetpack that can accelerate to 320 kilometers per hour. In early 2019, the company announced that it had begun work on a jet hoverbike intended for both civilian and military use.

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Jetpack

Jetpack

Jetpack(or rocket pack), (English) jet pack, rocket pack, rocket belt etc.) - a personal aircraft, worn on the back, allowing a person to rise into the air using jet propulsion. Thrust is created due to the jet stream emitted vertically downwards by the engine.

There are two main types of jetpacks:

• jetpack with rocket engine (rocket pack, rocket pack or rocket belt).
• a jetpack with a turbojet engine (actually a jetpack, jet pack or jet belt);

Rocket packs are very simple in design, which is why they have become widespread. The classic rocket pack designed by Wendell Moore can be made in a private workshop, although this requires good engineering training and a high level of metalworking skill. The main disadvantage of a rocket pack is its short flight duration (up to 30 seconds) and high consumption of scarce fuel - hydrogen peroxide. These circumstances limit the scope of use of rocket packs to very spectacular public demonstration flights. Flights on rocket packs always capture the attention of spectators and are a great success. For example, such a flight was arranged during the opening ceremony of the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, USA.

In subsequent flights, Graham worked on his backpack control techniques and mastered more complex piloting techniques. He learned to fly in a circle and turn on the spot, flew over streams, cars, ten-meter hills, and flew between trees. A total of 28 flights were made from April to May. Wendell Moore sought absolutely reliable performance from the backpack and confident piloting from Graham, so as not to make a mistake in front of the public. During the tests, the following maximum indicators were achieved:

• flight duration - 21 seconds;
• flight range - 120 meters;
• height - 10 meters;
• speed - 55 km/h.

Another famous appearance of the backpack occurred at the opening of the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles that year. The jet was piloted by the same Bill Sutor, a legendary personality (in total, he has over 1,200 flights - more than any other pilot to this day). Bill took off from behind the stands, flew over the rows of spectators who covered their heads with their hands in surprise, and landed in front of the presidential podium where Ronald Reagan was sitting. The flight was watched by 100,000 spectators in the stands and about 2.5 billion television viewers around the world (except

It seems that the time is not far off when a jet backpack will be on the back of everyone who prefers flying under the clouds to traveling in cars. In any case, the first successful flight on such a backpack, thanks to Australian designers, has already taken place.

For more than 100 years, engineers have been obsessed with creating jetpack. The first projects of such a “vehicle” began to appear at the dawn of the development of aviation. The most significant attempts were made in the 40s and 60s of the last century. However, it was not possible to achieve any significant success. The development of jetpacks began with renewed vigor in the 80s, and then with the beginning of the 21st century. The first most successful model was presented in Australia in 1984. An experienced backpack was able to stay in the air for a little more than 30 seconds.

Today, several teams are working on the creation of jetpacks. One of the most striking projects of recent times has been Martin Jet Pack. The aircraft, however, is very far from the futuristic jetpack that most people imagine. On the other hand, it became the first “pack” capable of holding a person in the air for 30 minutes.

The most successful team of engineers was that of Australian inventor and businessman David Mayman. Mayman has always been obsessed with jetpacks, and for good reason, as he was one of the people who worked on the Australian science team in the 80s. And it was his team’s backpack that made the first successful full flight. Mayman himself has been working in this direction for more than 45 years. The new brainchild of David Mayman's team was called JB-9.

The first thing the businessman noted in an interview is that this is a “backpack,” hinting that the vast majority of related developments from other teams are still not backpacks. Much of the JB-9's structure is made from carbon fiber and other composite materials. The backpack can perform vertical takeoff and landing, is controlled by two manipulators, and rises into the sky using two engines. The pilot is attached to the backpack using a special stabilizer belt and a set of belts.

The JB-9 can stay in the air for about 10 minutes. According to Maiman, the duration of the flight mainly depends on the weight of the pilot. Also affected by altitude, air temperature and a number of other, less significant factors. The JB-9 tank holds 10 gallons of fuel. The backpack “eats” about one gallon per minute. The fuel is kerosene - cheap, easy to produce and relatively safe.

Undoubtedly, even James Bond would be jealous of such a backpack. JB-9 can rightfully be included in .

Jetpack Aviation is best known for its jetpacks. However, she recently began taking orders for the Jetpack Speeder flying motorcycle. In accordance with the information published on the manufacturer’s website, there are plans to develop 4 versions of the hoverbike: cargo, military, ultra-light and for outdoor activities. The differences between them will be in maximum speed and flight duration.

Waiting for the time when jetpacks will go beyond science fiction and burst into real life, Jetpack Aviation has announced its readiness to move into the exciting world of jetpack racing. And to prove their concept, the developers recently performed a pair of test flights in which two pilots wearing jetpacks flew in close proximity to each other.

Student Archie O'Brien has long dreamed of gliding underwater at the speed of its inhabitants, and although underwater packs already exist, they are either equipped with motors, are slow, or are too heavy. And almost all known devices are quite expensive. So the guy developed and successfully tested his own version of an underwater jetpack.

After a series of successful tests in Europe, David Maiman and Jetpack Aviation have announced the official launch of sales of the JB-10 jetpack "to highly qualified buyers." Presumably, the device will be available for purchase in the spring of next year, but only for those who undergo the appropriate training - just anyone will not be able to buy the equipment.

Looks like there's a new use for the jetpack. Professional golfer Bubba Watson, who in 2013 collaborated with Oakley and Neoteric Hovercraft to create the Golf Cart Hovercraft, a hovercraft designed to get you around the course quickly and comfortably, has now partnered with Martin Aircraft to develop a golfer-specific Golf Cart Jetpack. . Currently, thanks to the 210 hp engine. With. and two impellers, the pre-production prototype of the car is capable of flying at a speed of 74 km/h at an altitude of up to 914 m. Externally, the Golf Cart Jetpack is no different from the original version, except for the presence of additional compartments for gaming equipment.

The more floors there are in a building, the more difficult it is for firefighters to fight the spreading fire and the more difficult it is to save people on the upper floors blocked by the elements. This is well understood in Dubai, a city with incredible skyscrapers, so the Civil Defense Department purchased Martin Jetpacks so that rescuers could attack the flames from the sky, monitor and rescue victims.

David Mayman was able to see the Statue of Liberty from a new angle, becoming the first person to fly near the US symbol using a jetpack. Being the founder of the JetPack Aviation company, which develops the jetpack, the man demonstrated several capabilities of the future new JB-9, a kind of colorful PR stunt. The date of appearance of the product on sale, as well as the price, have not yet been announced.

Very soon the dreams of those who wanted to have their own jetpack will come true. Martin Aircraft Company announced the release of the first flying packs in the second half of 2016. True, the cost of the device is far from low - about $150,000. At the Paris Air Show this year, the company showed an advanced version of the jetpack - P12. The current prototype is equipped with a V4 engine with 200 horsepower and can fly for more than 30 minutes at speeds of up to 74 km/h. The maximum available height is 1000 meters. The jetpack is capable of lifting loads weighing up to 120 kilograms. The device was developed with the goal of becoming the easiest aircraft to control: only two joysticks and one touchscreen are used to control it. It is assumed that the jetpack can be used both for private flights and for rescue or military operations. Martin Aircraft is already accepting orders from governments, companies and individuals.

Yves Rossy, a famous Swiss extreme pilot and inventor of the Jet Pack, made a demonstration flight over the famous Mount Fuji. This is his first trip in the skies of Asia. The launch was made from a helicopter, and landing, as always, with the help of a parachute. Let us remind you that the Jet Pack is capable of developing up to 305 km/h, and the altitude ceiling reaches 3657 m. The fuel reserve is enough for 14 km of travel.