Who says you need wings to fly?

Mountain View, Calif. - February 18, 2008 —No more walking or driving that old beater to school. Imagine the looks of admiration you’d get arriving in a Thunderpack TP-R2G2. Created by Thunderbolt Aerosystems Inc., the personal propulsion systempack is out to prove that you don’t need wings to fly. Bench tests have provided up to 75 second of flight time, a 300 percent increase over what other systems offer, the company notes in a press release. And it says initial conceptual plans for the Thunderjet system promise ten-fold increases over state-of-the-art rocket belt capabilities. Carmelo “Nino” Amarena, founder of Thunderbolt Aerosystems, came up with the personal propulsion system idea because he wanted to shorten his commute to his Bay Area office. He began his design work by consulting with the engineers and test pilots who had developed and flown the first rocket belts for Bell Aerosystems, which had developed the first systems for the Army. Those jet packs averaged 22 second in the air. While 75 seconds won’t get you very far, the company notes that a potential dual-fuel feature, which should be developed within the year, will allow longer flight — up to 35 minutes. And that should make the Thunderjet a rocket belt for the masses. Amarena said the Thunderjet could be used for a host of defense, commercial and personal purposes, including support of military missions, disaster relief efforts, border patrol assignments, and even overcoming commutes. Bill Suitor, the company’s director of training who flew with the Bell Aerosystems Rocketbelt Flying Team from 1964-69, says learning to fly a rocketbelt is difficult. What does it feel like? “It’s like standing on a beach ball on top of a pool of water.” Interested in buying one? The Thunderjet will sell for about $100,000 and should be available yet in 2008. There’s more Thunderbolt Aerosystems isn’t the only company creating and marketing a personal propulsion system. Click here and to read our recent story about the “Go Fast Jet Pack.”

A young fan poses with Bill Suitor, director of training, and the Thunderpack. Credit: Thunderbolt Aerosystems. Bill Suitor, director of training, strapped into the Thunderpack, lifts off. The jet pack, which holds about 100 pounds of fuel, can operate on specially promoted hydrogen peroxide along with a hydrocarbon fuel like diesel or methanol, or standard peroxide. Credit: Thunderbolt Aerosystems.

• 2008 - 07/22 - Rotterdam Red Bull Race
• 2008 - 07/18 - DOT/FAA Partner with X Prize to Encourage Green Fuel Innovation
• 2008 - 07/17 - Search for Missing Adventurer Resumes
• 2008 - 07/17 - Marking Another Milestone
• 2008 - 07/17 - Hy-Bird: The Ultimate Hybrid Plane?