I was looking at the jetpack and floating platform ideas that futurehorizons.net have got on there, and was thinking about harnessing this sort of thing for forward propulsion....

Check my maths... If the platform can hold its mass at a steady height then it is exerting the same force as gravity - c. 10metres per second squared. If the same 'fan' device was tilted so it was facing forward (perhaps on wheels!) then would it exert an accelleration of 10m/s/s? That's a 0-60 time of <6 seconds, right?

-- Graham Shroll (graham@painlesswebdesign.com), January 27, 2002

Answers

It doesn't look the most comfortable means of transport. How noisy do you think those 2 fans are that are about 6 inches from the pilot's head? And the great blasts of air flowing down your body are going to be a bit breezy!

-- R C (richardcarrey@yahoo.com), March 20, 2002.