People wishing to join the jet age will next month get the opportunity to hear how achieving such an ambition is possible - from the Kiwi who invented the world's first practical jetpack.
Christchurch man Glenn Martin, who spent two decades designing, revising, building and modifying a practical and viable jetpack,
will be guest speaker at an evening being hosted by the Hawke's Bay Branch of the Institution of Professional Engineers.
The evening is part of the Pickering Lectures series and will be staged at the Century Theatre at 1.30pm on Friday, September 10.
Mr Martin's story is that of a man who achieved a dream held since boyhood - to fly under jet power. He formed a company in 1998 and secretly worked on building a machine which could fly, without wings, under jet power and for 100 times longer than the only other jetpack machine which had been built - the Bell Rocket Belt which was limited to just 26 seconds flight.
Earlier this year, the Martin Aircraft Company signed a $12-million joint-venture deal with an international aircraft company to build Martin Jetpacks with the aim of making 500 units generating annual turnover of $100 million within three years.
The jetpacks will be sold to emergency response organisations, such as police and military, providing a quick way of getting aid and relief into disaster-hit areas.
Later in the year they are expected to go on the market for about $70,000.
