Larry Smith wrote a great article for Slate on the most iconic technology from the history of the future–the jetpack! Actually, the “real” name for this kind of device is apparently “rocketbelt.” Larry attended the world’s first ever rocketbelt convention that took place last week at the Niagara Aerospace Museum. Bill Suitor (Sean Connery’s rocketbelt-wearing stuntdouble in Thunderball) made the scene, as did 72-year-old rocketbelt pioneer Hal Graham, who in 1961 was the first person to get off the ground with one of the contraptions. Graham showed up sporting his vintage black-rubber flight suit and helmet along with a plastic mock-up rocketbelt. From Slate:
For insiders, the highlight of the conference was a new bit of rocketbelt lore. During a talk to 100 people–and just before debuting on the ukulele an original song he wrote–Graham for the first time told the story of his only crash. He recounted falling 22 feet and landing on his head during a secret demonstration at Cape Canaveral, a mishap that left him unconscious for half an hour. Graham retired from the rocketbelt biz shortly thereafter. “It’s not a matter of if you get hurt, it’s when,” says Eric Scott, a 43-year-old former stuntman who flies for the sports-marketing company Go Fast in the rocketbelt you see in the video at the top of this article. All would-be rocketbelters practice on a tethered safety line for months before attempting a free flight. And most never make that flight: To date, only 11 men in history have free-flown a rocketbelt. More men have walked on the moon.
Link to Slate article, Link to a video of Graham’s ukulele ballad about the rocketbelt, shot at the convention by John Carnett for SMITH magazine
UPDATE: Xeni kindly points out that one of her recent Omakase Links compendiums points to Bill “Beam Jockey” Higgins’s report and photos from the rocketbelt convention. Link