Personal Aerial Vehicle Pilot Training

Rocketman-Type Science Fiction to Become a Reality

California-based JetPack Aviation (JPA) recently announced a world-first following the signing of an agreement to provide JetPack pilot and maintainer training to a military customer in Southeast Asia. This is the first time that professional JetPack training has been delivered to a team of serving military personnel and represents a critical advancement in the use of personal aerial vehicles for government use.

Following the signing of an $800,000 order for two JB12 JetPacks, the customer contracted JetPack Aviation to train two pilots and two maintenance technicians at its California facility, with future options to teach additional personnel, including an instructor.

The student pilots, already experienced military personnel but without flying experience, will initially receive on-tether instruction, subsequently moving off-tether for advanced training, following an FAA-approved syllabus created by JPA and the US Navy. Training, which will be undertaken close to JetPack Aviation’s Ventura, CA headquarters, will be delivered on the customer’s own JB12 aircraft during summer 2022. Conducted over two weeks, the course will require a minimum of 50 six-minute on-tether flights before the trainees progress to free flight.

Once off-tether training is completed, the program will conclude with advanced mission-specific maneuvers, including operating in tightly confined spaces and landing on moving “targets.” Future developments may include in-country arrangements for initial and currency training, using purpose-built facilities. It is anticipated the Southeast Asian customer will use the JetPacks to support complicated special missions.

JPA is currently working on a VR simulation system which will reduce training time and support pilot currency. The company has also implemented a remote-control system that enables the instructor to take over throttle control, adding a critical safety enhancement for the early phases of flight training. Work is also continuing on an automatic yaw control management system, also for initial training.

JetPack Aviation is the first aerospace company manufacturing small, turbine-powered personal VTOL aircraft, the JB10, JB11, and JB12 aircraft. JetPack Aviation’s mission is to create a range of VTOL aircraft that will save lives and revolutionize complex special missions. The JB12 aircraft are small, portable, fast, and capable of carrying heavy payloads. They have no rotors or lift fans, reducing operational footprint and complexity, and while JetPack Aviation’s initial focus is on special missions, they have obvious longer-term application to the urban air mobility market.

A lower thrust version of the JB12 and the world’s first FAA-approved jetpack, the JB10 is scheduled to debut in its own race series next year. With pilots racing around a three-dimensional overwater track, the competition will demonstrate real-world JetPack capabilities that are equally applicable to military maneuvers.

For more information, contact JetPack Aviation at 805-262-7874 or visit here .