is it really porrible for a man to make a jet pack and fly?
here is a video that I found

http://www.viralvideos.com/video/5212

Obviously, this has already been put to the test.

That said - it seems to me that a revisit might be in order. The reason is this:

http://www.livescience.com/com...091013_dyson-airflow

The problem with the design Adam and Jamie used before was the weight. They just couldn't generate enough lift to offset the weight of the device. I think that Mr. Dyson might have just solved this issue.

They guys paid some unknown amount of money to get custom propellers made for the dual fans last time, right? Let's say you ditch the fans, remove the long crankshaft, and instead hook and impeller up to the engine (or entirely replace the engine with a proper impeller?), and run ducting up to the two rings which are now replaced with hollow "wing shape" plastic/fiberglass matching Mr. Dyson's shape - probably want to ask for permission first.

If his claims are accurate, you're going to get *much* more lift for the weight, and you might actually succeed this time.

Now - whether the average joe could take fiberglass and fabricate a pair of rings like that is debatable, but at first blush it actually doesn't look too bad. Some wire guides and cardboard might do the trick. I wouldn't expect it to get max thrust without proper R&D, but I figure if you ask nicely - you can do your own, then for your "ramp it up", ask Mr. Dyson for a "properly made" pair of rings.

Dunno - I realize the original myth was whether someone could do this themselves. I think from the first myth it was a matter of:

1. Vague instructions.
2. Not enough lift.

The instructions can be clarified, and the lift issue - that's debatable. If I'm reading/seeing this right - I'd say for the minimal effort required (easy for me to say, right?) it can't hurt to try...

The illustrated duct will only work with low pressure and velocity. The MBs fans weren't custom built, they were purchased off the shelf. They were originally made for a Hovercraft, I seem to recall. The ducts that Adam built were pretty good. The fundamental problem was that the blades of the fan didn't have steep enough pitch for the application and didn't produce enough thrust for the engine rpm. The design was close to being workable, and, with some tweaking, probably could have been made to lift itself. Several different people have built similar designs over the past 50 years and have flown them.

Very cool video, honcoop.

Nasa developed a jetpack to use for training purposes in the 70's. However, it would only fly for a few seconds. It's just not practical to carry a descent quantity of fuel in a portable pack solution. The idea was quickly retired.

NASA had very little to do with it. Most of the original research was done by the US Army and Bell Aerospace. Most of NASA's involvement in the concept has been for man maneuvering unit for space which isn't really the same thing. They only work in a weightless environment and can't lift a flyer.

and just like the old 70's videos. how many jumps/flights were there in that 4m video.
the old 70's pack could only fly for like 20seconds, so it was film editing that made it look so incredible.

cool video tho. looks like a ton of fun.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0109liIZGQ

another cool jetpack