Inventor granted flying permit for ‘motorbike in the sky’
Fans of the 1965 Bond film <i>Thunderball</i> may be excited to learn that a jetpack built by a New Zealand inventor has just been granted a flying permit.
Glenn Martin's 'motorbike in the sky' - which consists of a carbon fibre frame attached to a gas-powered, V-4 piston engine - is designed to fly at a top speed of 46mph and at an altitude of 1.5km.
Two joysticks enable the pilot to move in different directions. A pair of cylinders containing propulsion fans provide the lift.
The first manned tests of the vehicle are due to take place in the next few months.
A simplified version is expected to be on the market by 2015.
