It's hard to watch old science fiction movies without feeling gypped. My car cannot fly and skateboards still require wheels -- but if a New ealand company has its way, then we just might see a reasonably affordable jetpack in the next few years. The Martin Jetpack runs on regular gasoline, weighs in at 115kg and achieves lift by way of two “superfans”, which allow the flyer to climb at a rate of 1000 feet per minute and cruise at 62 miles per hour (100kmh). Martin Jetpack says that its invention is one step closer to production after a test flight that saw it carry a crash test dummy to 5,000 feet above sea level. At the conclusion of its flight a parachute was deployed and the jetpack and dummy dropped to the ground for what would be considered a safe landing (the jetpack sustained some damage but the dummy was fine). Until now, tests had been carried out much closer to the ground and involved “ground hopping” rather than flying at altitude. Presumably the next step will be to put humans at the controls for sustained flight, so they can log the flying hours necessary to put the jetpack into production. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHPedpE70Es&w=560&h=349] Source: Engadget