Video: Jetpack By Troy Hartman - The Real Rocketeer? (Hmm, Maybe Not)

 So you probably know about the Martin Jetpack, and also about Yves Rossy - aka Jetman (who will be making his first public flights in the US at Oshkosh 2013!) but do you know about stuntman Troy Hartman and his Jetpack? If you do, you're a step head of me... I just learned of this sorta Rocketeer project this morning. The video above is actually from last August.

 I was leaning in pretty close watching the video until I realized that Troy is using the Jetpack mostly as a source of thrust to get him in the air under a parachute. However, he claims to have about 200 pounds of thrust with the twin turbine setup, and it also appears that he's working toward using this as the thrust to power a Jet Wing similar to what Yves Rossy uses. I guess the use of the parachute is just an easy way to test the Jetpack hardware.

Video screenshot: Stuntman Troy Hartman - Rocketeer in training?

 
 Is vertical launch a possibility? Without a wing and much like the Rocketeer? That seems like a good question but I'm guessing any attempt like that is along way off. It does seem possible tho since those good ole rocket-powered jetpacks (like this one) are stable and controllable. Plus, small turbine thrust will certainly continue to improve... but the list of challenges to solve seems exceedingly long and the likelihood for disaster seems very high. You never know tho, maybe one of these days Troy, or some other person with 'issues in the head' will actually make a Rocketeer Jetpack work!

(learn more about Troy and his Jetpack)

HD Video: Stunning Italian Mountains Seen From A Paraglider Harness

 You don't have to be into paragliding to be awed by this HD video from youtuber TOMASMBASK. Be sure to watch in HD and full screen if you can for a much larger impact. The mountains are the Dolomites in north-eastern Italy... such great beauty. And a paraglider is a truly amazing way to experience them. I'm sure glad they took cameras to share it all with of us : )

Video: Powered Hang Gliding - The Perfect Way To Fly Cheap?

 
 My mind is being twisted really hard this morning... I found the video above and of course enjoyed it immensely with its great overhead view of flying a hang glider at higher altitudes over the broken clouds of Greece. But it clearly must have been powered, so I looked a little deeper and learned of the power pack that some of these guys use that's mounted just behind your feet. You can see how all this works in the other video below from youtuber kmaro1973 - it's an unusual arrangement to be sure, but it seems to work very well.

 What I find most interesting about all this is that there seems to be several advantages of this style of flying machine over other lightweight and relatively inexpensive concepts like traditional ultralights and paramotors. These powered hang gliders have very low drag due to very minimal structure (not requiring much in the way of draggy support cables) and a sleek dual surface wing along with no normal undercarriage and no pilot sitting in an upright position making all kinds of drag. The horsepower required can be very low (15hp) which helps keep the cost down both initially and for fuel. Compared to the paramotor you have less drag with the prone pilot position and from not having a massive collection of suspension lines being drug thru the air. Best of all, the powered hang glider gives you a real flying-like-a-bird flight experience!

 For someone like me who lives in the flatlands and has a very minimal budget for flying (but a desire for an awesome flying experience) the powered hang glider appears to be a fascinating answer. It folds down to transport on top of your car, stores in a small space and looks amazingly fun to fly. It would even encourage a guy to lose a few pounds and stay in shape for the foot launching! My eyes are just opening to this form of flying, so I'll do more research on the state of the art and report back later... but for now I hope you enjoy these great videos.

Screenshot from the video below showing the propeller behind the prone pilot's feet

Must See Video: Paragliding + An Amazing Hawk = ParaHawking!

 
 Paragliding is already one of the most amazing ways to fly, but combining it with a real live hawk trained to fly formation and even land on an outstretched arm is pure flying perfection... and this awesome video from about a year ago lets you and me experience that perfection in a very stunning way. Wow!

 And I recommend you pay attention the the wings of the hawk as it approaches that outstretched arm. This is variable geometry wings at their very best! It's further evidence of my belief that we'll never be able to build flying machines as impressive as those made by the Creator : )

 
Video screenshot of the hawk landing on the trainers hand!  Amazing stuff!

Homebuilt Paramotor 'Instructable' - Cheap Thrills! (Video)

Check out the Instructables Build And Fly A Paramotor step by step info

 This is a great Instructables video on the details of building up the powerpack and harness for a Paramotor. It comes from an Instructables account named Sky-Monkey, and in looking at his bio, I've got more in common than just an animal-in-the-air name... he's also plagued by almost too many interests to handle! One thing is sure, he's done an excellent job of putting together a 5 minute video and some step by step info showing the work that goes into building most everything except for the engine, prop and the parachute canopy.

 Back in the day I made 110 skydives, and I was raised in a skydiving environment, so the idea of flying a parachute with an engine on your back has always interested me. However, I've never had the opportunity to pursue it like I probably should. This video gives me all the more reason to put Powered Para Gliding on my list! Oh, wait a minute... I see something shiny - I'll be right back : )

Instructables 'Sky-Monkey' and his excellent homebuilt Paramotor