The jetpack has been part of popular culture, no matter if it was real or a joke. It's also featured in many science fiction movies and TV shows. Some of the most famous movies and TV shows that have featured jetpacks are the Star Wars movies and TV shows.
Amazing Stories magazine published an 1928 story that featured a man piloting a jetpack. This idea was popularized in science fiction novels, pulp magazines, and in the 1920s and 30s. Many science fiction novels, TV shows and movies featuring jetpacks were created in the 1950s/60s. Many of these stories were inspired in part by The Skylark of Space (a movie about a rocket pilot who took a rocket to the stars). In other stories, a flying rucksack would be used to transport a single soldier to battle. Bell Aerosystems and Williams Research Corporation created jetpack technology in the 1960s for the US space program.
The Bell Aerosystems jetpack was known as the Bell Rocket Belt and was a two-jet pack, which could propel the wearer upwards for 21 seconds. The Rocket Belt was first tested in 1960s and Bell Aerosystems signed a contract in 1965 with DARPA. It was based upon hydrogen peroxide (HP) and pressurized nitrogen (PN). It was a simple two jet pack that could be strapped on to the back.
Bell Aerosystems also developed the Bell Pogo system, which was designed to carry astronauts to the moon. The system was designed to be powered by a modified aircraft engine. It was originally designed for NASA but was eventually adopted by the US Army. It was then developed into the Bell Jet Flying Belt. It was a lightweight jetpack capable of flying up to seven metres at a time, and a maximum altitude for 25 minutes.
Bell Aerosystems, Williams Research Corporation and Williams also created the Jet Flying Belt jetpack. The turbojet engine was used to power it, with a thrust of 1,900 newtons. It was designed to lift a pilot up to seven metres and have a maximum speed of 30 mph.
Bell Aerosystems was the premier postwar jet age aviation company. The Bell Rocket Belt, the first aircraft built by the company, was its first jetpack. The Jet Flying Belt came next. After conducting experiments with missile engines, the company designed and developed the Jet Flying Belt. It was backed by $3 million from the Advanced Research Projects Agency. In January 2005, the first prototype was put to the test.
In 1969, Williams Research Corporation built a new turbojet motor for Bell Aerosystems. The WR19 engine weighed 68 lbs. and had a thrust rating that reached 1,900 Newtons. Bell specified the specifications of the engine.
Bell Aerosystems also designed the Bell Pogo system, which was based on a modified aircraft engine that could be used to power flight. It was made to be used in space by US astronauts. It was built for NASA and US Army use and was tested in 1967 and 1969.