The Jetpack Is Here

Finally.

And you won’t need a pilot’s license to fly one either, just a few lessons. But that’s not the problem in my household since I informed my wife that I was going to learn how to fly, the issue is more about convincing her to buy me one.

With a range of just over 30 miles at 63 miles per hour, this could make for a nifty commute that would even make you look forward to Monday mornings.

This Day in Flight

Stephen W. Thompson (March 20, 1894 — October 9, 1977) was an American aviator of World War I, and the first person in the U.S. Military to shoot down an enemy aircraft, on February 5, 1918.

This Date in Flight

The Space Shuttle Columbia accident occurred on February 1, 2003, when the Space Shuttle Columbia re-entered the Earth’s atmosphere, with the loss of all seven crew members, shortly before it was scheduled to conclude its 28th mission. The disaster was set in motion when a frozen piece of foam dislodged from the main propellant tank during launch, striking the left wing and damaging the leading edge. That damage allowed the heat from re-entry to enter the interior space of the wing and destroy the internal structure. Amazingly, a video recording of a portion of the re-entry, shot by the astronauts themselves, survives.