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US company aiming to commercialise jetpacks with new crowdfund

A new crowdfunding campaign has launched on Seedrs that is aiming to deliver the first commercially available jetpack technology to the public.

US firm JetPack Aviation is looking to raise £300k on crowdfunding platform Seedrs which it plans to invest in further research and development for its JB-10 JetPack and other vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) personal aircraft.

Founded by aviation expert David Mayman and three-time Academy Award winner Nelson Tyler, the company has spent the last ten years developing its JB-10 jetpack which is now poised for its public launch in early 2017.

Mayman, who is also the firm’s Chief Executive Officer said that the crowdfunding campaign would help maximise their technology and expand on some of their design aspirations.

He commented: “A lot of us spent time in our youth fantasising about what it would be like to follow Buck Rogers up into the air with our very own jetpacks.

“We are getting a lot closer to launching a commercial product but there is still much further that we can take our design and ideas, so we want to give the crowdfunding community a once in a lifetime opportunity to invest in turning a dream into reality.”

Initial trials of the technology have drawn significant attention in the press and on social media, with a video of a trial in New York clocking up millions of views on YouTube and elsewhere.

To celebrate the launch of its six-figure crowdfund, JetPack Aviation carried out the UK’s first-ever jetpack ride across the Royal Victoria Dock on Wednesday morning.

Jeff Lynn, founder of London-based Seedrs, described the technology as a serious scientific invention despite the more outlandish science fiction images that jetpacks tend to conjure up, backed up by the fact that the firm is already in discussions with the US military about how jetpacks might be utilised in the field.

Lynn commented: “Flying to work with a jetpack strapped to your back may be everyone’s favourite science fiction fantasy alongside teleportation and personal space travel, but this is a serious scientific invention that could have huge implications for the aviation sector.

“This funding round is a chance for everyone to get on board with further development of the JB-10 and we are so excited to welcome David Mayman and JetPack Aviation onto Seedrs.”

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