Company Demos Personal Aircraft, Future Jetpack

coondoggie writes "Earlier this week researchers with the company ESG Elektroniksystem in Germany demonstrated a form of 'strap-on jet wing' that lets a user truly fly through the air. The system, called Gryphon, consists of a six-foot wing and hand-held rotary controls for the rudder. The pilot has several different instruments available to him, including onboard oxygen and helmet that features a heads-up display. 'Researchers say the final version of the flying wing will contain an electronic system that will take care of some of the steering for the pilot which today can be a little tricky, researchers say. The company also plans to add small jets to the wing making it a true jetpack in the future.'"

Re:Remember kiddies, this is not a real jet pack

[MrDoh1]

Way to burst everyone's bubble by reading the article.

Daedalus

[Anonymous Coward]

When will they learn.

We had those in the '80s

[Hamsterdan]

Well, at least GI Joe and Cobra had them :)

This sounds like...

[kaan]

... an advanced, high-tech way to die. Seriously, a jet-powered vehicle where the frontmost thing is your head? At 135mph?

I, no ... well

[ScrewMaster]

There's got to be a good strap-on joke in here somewhere but I'm too many beers down to come up with it.

Re:I, no ... well

[YrWrstNtmr]

A couple more, and it probably can't come up.

Strap-on?

[Anonymous Coward]

Please don't mention "strap-on" around my girlfriend. Last time, she, umm, got "ideas."

All I can say is that I didn't normally the next day.

Well, looks like someone has to change the joke...

[tlhIngan]

After all, the old pilot joke that goes:

Any landing you can walk away from is a good landing. Any landing where the plane can be used again is a *great* landing

since they're now one and the same...

*grin*

Re:where's my flying car

[Anonymous Coward]

That's great, but where's my flying car?

Next time remember where you parked.

Re:Some videos

[E++99]

My German may be a bit rusty, but I think they were saying something about a Master Race and a new air invasion of Britain.

Re:something like this before...

[Jaxoreth]

wasn't there some strap-on wing and w/e developed for us special forces?

You're thinking of an actual rocketpack prototype that was invented by Howard Hughes in 1938 and stolen by the Nazis for the purpose of creating a flying army, though it was accidentally destroyed soon after they acquired it. The FBI managed to keep the whole thing secret until about 1991, when news of the incident became public [wikipedia.org].

Re:Remember kiddies, this is not a real jet pack

[phoenixwade]

Pedants need not reply...If you haven't went HALO, you have no concept of WTF is going on here! The only possible better physical experience than HALO, is HALO with sex...but there is that whole windchill/cold temp thing to deal with!

The Master Chief says there are Two things better than HALO - and one of them is going to be released next week.

--Wade