‘World’s first personal jetpack’ flies around the Statue of Liberty

Watch the maiden flight of the JB-9, said to be the world’s first personal jetpack.

Jetpack aviation has been in development for nearly one-hundred years ever since Russian inventor Aleksandr Fyodorovich Andreyev patented his version in 1919; but there has rarely been a convincing example that the technology could fly – until now.

Last week, Australian entrepreneur David Mayman took his JB-9 jetpack on its maiden flight around the iconic New York skyline.

The debut involved a circuit around the Statue of Liberty; and the footage will be featured in a documentary be released next year called Own The Sky.

The jetpack has been cleared for flight by the US Federal Aviation Administration; but the company is not stopping there.

According to their website, the next model, JB-10, will be able to reach an altitude of over 10,000 feet; hit over 100mph and run for more than ten minutes.