Write your way to JetPack training

JetPack Aviation Director of Marketing Dan Schwarzbaum said in an email exchange that the company chose the essay contest approach because “JPA is writing the book on personal VTOL flight (literally) and our JetPack is just the beginning. We have received so many requests from aspiring JetPack pilots that we decided to test a JetPack Pilot School. This offer is our first step toward the establishment of our ‘JetPack TopGun Experience & Training Centers.’”

Graduating jet pack school would put any pilot in a select group. JetPack Aviation CEO David Mayman is among just three pilots to have attempted to maneuver a JB-9, or the current version, the JB-10, and described the techniques to AOPA in January. (Mayman’s briefing will be a useful primer for anyone considering an essay entry.)

Though still a trial program, the forthcoming jet pack pilot clinic, dates to be determined, will not be free.

“Yes, there will be a charge for the school and the number of pilots in our first class will be limited. Both numbers are still to be determined,” Schwarzbaum wrote. “We are currently exploring offering different programs such as an introductory day course to ‘try’ a flight on the tether. We ‘might’ also have a full course resulting in a solo free flight over water. We hope to finalize our plan in the next few weeks.”

JetPack Aviation has not finalized the price of the JB-10, the current iteration of the personal jet pack that has been decades in development, either, though Mayman has said to expect it to cost around $250,000.

For those inclined to write an essay and compete for an invitation to the first class, the company is accepting submissions via email.