Fly a Jetpack in San Diego

It’s a bird. It’s a plane. It’s your 82 year old grandmother? Movies like Superman, the Rocketeer, and Ironman have had people wondering for years when someone will invent the jet pack. And while Tony Stark might not be to impressed by the new flight system, the Jetlev R200 is definitely turning a few heads.

Jetpack America (Formerly Jetlev Southwest) has started manufacturing a water propelled jet pack that will let you fly up to 30 feet in the air or down to 30 feet under water. But how is that possible, you ask? Well, a 200 horse power marine engine pumps 1000 gallons of water per minute through ten meter hose that is directed out 2 nozels on either side of your body. The water pressure is high enough that it can have up to four-hundred and twenty pounds of thrust. You use 2 hand controls that allow you to control the direction of travel and a motorcycle style throttle for adjusting speed (force of water).

You might think this sounds a bit dangerous and it might just be a little dangerous. You may have seen a clip from San Diego Fox 6′ morning show, where at a boat show on the San Diego bay, a botched live toss resulted in the craft’s operator flying himself right off the dock and almost taking the news anchor off with him. I don’t think that the risk outweighs the reward though. It seems like the worst thing that can happen is doing a belly flop from 30 feet high.

Are you feeling adventurous? Well, you could buy your own Jetlev for the small price of $65,000. Or if that’s out of your price range, you can rent one. The Mission Bay Sportscenter will let you fly for 15 minutes for the low cost of $159 and for $549 you can get the 50 minute rockstar package. So head out the the bay and get your Ironman on.