Now you can own your own jetpack for a cool $150k

The long-awaited reality of strapping on a personal jetpack and blasting into the sky has finally arrived, with a price: $150,000. For that princely sum, you can join the ranks of the adrenaline junkies jetting above Dubai with only a metal pack filled with jet fuel strapped to your back. ((I think these packs are actually powered by H2O2 – hydrogen peroxide))

The Martin Jetpack made a splash at the Paris Air Show, where 130,000 of the world's most dedicated aviation geeks were invited to test it out in an Oculus Rift virtual reality experience. The experience included the full feeling of free lift off — without paying the full price tag. The actual non-VR jetpack is powered by a 200HP V4 gas engine which then feeds to large fans that provide lift for up to 30 minutes of air time. The jetpack can carry up to up to 265 pounds and push to speeds of 45 miles per hour at over 3,000 feet.

The jetpack itself has basically defined the term labor of love: developed over a period of 35 years, the company initially planned a 2014 release date. The release date is now set for later in 2016, when the pack will start retailing for around $150,000. The recent progress towards release has been facilitated by a $50 million investment from Chinese aerospace group Kuang-Chi Science.

And, perhaps surprisingly, the company isn't targeting those have-to-have-it One Percenters. Government agencies and first responders will actually be first on the list of potential customers. The idea is that these jetpacks could bring emergency responders closer to the action — such as landing on rooftops that might be inaccessible to a helicopter — while also offering the ability to hover over a situation for assessment.

Martin chief executive Peter Coker told Reuters

I think the first responders will see that as a massive improvement to their capability. So, for example, in the fire services going around to look at the situational awareness of what's going on, perhaps through water security or even search and rescue on beach patrol, something along those lines.

Naturally for the ambulance service getting to a point of importance of rescuing people in the shortest possible time. So there's a lot of uses within that first responder environment.

Here's some more about the jetpack — and keep an eye out at the Paris show next year, as the Martin team is in talks to feature the pack as part of its ((Missing part of this sentence?))