25 January 2022
JetPack Aviation has its first military customer for its ‘Ironman’ like JB12 JetPacks – for use on complicated special missions.
Two JB12 JetPacks valued at US$800,000 are on order plus training for two pilots and two maintenance technicians. The unnamed customer is from south-east Asia.
The student pilots are experienced military personnel but without flying experience. Their training will start with on-tether instruction, subsequently moving off-tether for advanced training, following an FAA-approved syllabus created by JetPack Aviation (JPA) and the US Navy.
Training, will be undertaken close to JetPack Aviation’s headquarters at Ventura, California, and will be delivered on the customer’s own JB12 aircraft during summer 2022. Conducted over two weeks, the course will require a minimum of 50 six-minute on-tether flights before the trainees progress to free flight.
Once off-tether training is completed, the program will conclude with advanced mission-specific manoeuvres, including operating in tightly confined spaces and landing on moving targets.
The latest JetPack is a six-engine brute! The classified JB12 is a development of this, the JB11
David Mayman, CEO and founder of JPA, said, “The contracted training confirms the serious intent of our customer to make full use of the JB12’s maneuverability, speed, and ease of deployment in active situations where no other type of aircraft can accomplish the mission.
“We designed the JetPacks to be practical, easy to operate and reliable. Once the training is completed our customer will be adding a high performance, extremely versatile, incredibly portable, personal aerial vehicle to its fleet, which can be deployed to support multiple mission types. This is precisely what we envisioned the JetPacks would be used for.”
JPA is working on a VR simulation system which will reduce training time, and support pilot currency. It has also implemented a remote control system that enables the instructor to take over throttle control, adding a critical safety enhancement for the early phases of flight training. Work is also continuing on an automatic yaw control management system, also for initial training.
From 2022, all of JetPack Aviation’s own aircraft will operate using zero net carbon fuels supplied by Prometheus Fuels.
