"Vacuum Into A Jet Pack" - 20 years later, any chance?
Posted by Get_a_Grip_comic@reddit | mythbusters | View on Reddit | 18 comments
20 years ago Adam and Jamie did the myth of 'building a homemade personal flying machine and failed.
As today with the technological progress, especially in commercial drones, do you think the myth holds any chance today?
While the original myth had Vacuums in it, I think they substituted it for something better, so let's add that condition to the question I'm asking.
Ok-Storage3530@reddit
As someone who used to see the ads in Boy's Life and desperately wanted to try this, I hope so!
shanejayell@reddit
Kinda yes and no. I feel certain that Adam and Jamie could build a flying rig via tech existing now,,, I dunno if you could build it from scratch using dodgy internet plans.
Brewcastle_@reddit
Well, Tony Stark built one in a cave with a box of scraps. /s
MiksBricks@reddit
A few years ago Colin Furze made a personal flying machine using two para-motors. That was just one dude bodging together.
Even now they have a few commercial options for personal flying machines.
scowdich@reddit
So he built a personal flying machine out of two personal flying machines?
MiksBricks@reddit
Yeah lol. It was a sort of motorcycle looking contraption when he was done. Looked insanely dangerous.
SenorTron@reddit
Nah it's fine he made sure to wear his tie.
MiksBricks@reddit
lol you know the episode? Love Colin and I am anything but a “safety inspector”, really love everything he does and I actually think he pretty safe despite how dangerous some of his builds are but watching the episode where he had finished building and was learning to fly the thing there were at least two clips where he was inches from loosing a leg.
I just remember thinking “if this thing twitches the wrong way he is full on falling directly into those blades.”
DracoAdamantus@reddit
This is two completely different myths.
Levitation machine used vacuums. That was more of a hovercraft, but still a land vehicle.
Then there was Jet Pack, that was supposed to make an actual personal flying machine.
shanejayell@reddit
The uploader gave the episode a weird title.
And the other half is the notoriously awful Pyramid Power segment
Bluepilgrim3@reddit
No more oogie boogie myths!
Elderberry-West@reddit
The hovercraft episode used leaf blowers. The shop vac fire episode had tory attempt to build a jet engine from a vacuum. And the jet pack episode used a snowmobile engine.😁
Get_a_Grip_comic@reddit (OP)
annoying, when I searched up Jet packs + mythbusters before posting I got images and links for them in an actual jetpack and then the official channel names it like that.
Googling further is annoying, it feels like I can never get a straight answer when googling Mythbusters.
CyberpunkVendMachine@reddit
https://mythresults.com
Has information about every episode.
Elderberry-West@reddit
The vacuum jet engine was a tory attempt during shop vac fire myth. And the jet pack wasnt that it couldnt be done. But that it could be done for X price. While i believe even then if you really wanted to you could build one for millions. But they had a set price i dont remember right now
Ishpeming_Native@reddit
I remember seeing someone out of England? who made a craft out of basically a whole lot of drones and their engines and a battery pack that might have powered a Tesla and created a personal flying machine and it worked really well. And I saw another one out of Finland that was simpler with fewer engines but with the same idea, and it worked even better. So, I'll bet that today you could create a personal flying machine with enough power to send you a few miles or maybe a few tens of miles at reasonable speed. Of course, if it fails you'll probably die and if you don't you may wish you had.
scowdich@reddit
No consumer-level appliance is going to have the oomph to be feasibly converted into a personal flying machine.
Get_a_Grip_comic@reddit (OP)
episode in question: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuIheLHaIKM