This is a video of a Japanese man flying around a television studio with a homemade jetpack strapped on. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get the video to play here at work so I’ve had to rely on the word of my tipsters. So, give it to me straight — is it as awesome as I’d hoped? I got had, didn’t I? Gotdamnit. Japanese Jet Pack [stupidvideos] Thanks to Austin and TobyRaider, who are both jerks.

Chris Lentz, instead of going the classy route and getting a pair of truck nuts, decided to throw a Czech built Motorlet M-701 turbojet in the bed of his truck . The fifty-five-year-old electrical foreman from Jackson, Michigan, had longed for a jet-powered truck for decades. Two years ago, Lentz discovered a way to realize his dream when he met a pilot from New York who imported used turbojet engines. After watching an example run on a test stand, Lentz paid $10,000 for one. Unfortunately, it’s pretty unimpressive. Without jet assist, Lentz’s 231-hp V-8 accelerated its 6600-pound burden (truck, jet engine, two occupants) to 60 mph in a sluggish 14.5 seconds. The best of three runs in hybrid mode - exploiting both piston and jet propulsion - trimmed six seconds from the sprint to 60 mph. The quarter-mile speed jumped 30 mph and we achieved 140 mph after 45 seconds of acceleration. Wow. You could probably tape bottle rockets to your bumper and go faster. Just sayin’, HAPPY CANADA DAY! Somebody burn themself with a firework for me. Video after the jump.

This is a video of Jetpack International trying to raise the airspeed record for jetpacking . Because, well, you’ve gotta start somewhere. This is not especially difficult to do, considering that jetpack airspeed records don’t really exist yet, but when you only have 30 or 40 seconds of fuel, you have to make sure and remember to leave yourself enough time to slow down. The actual jetpacking starts at around 1:30, but whoever edited the video did a pretty shitty job and loves slow motion too much. Still, dude gets up to 61MPH. Which is impressive considering he’s got like 30lb balls in tow. Jet Pack Speed Record [ohgizmo]

This is some more video of the $100,000 Martin “Jetpack” that will be available later this year. That’s right folks, your very own hoverpack for less than you’d pay for a Lamborghini . Almost sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it? No, not really. But still, I want one. …capable of accurate control, and it’s said to fly for 30 minutes at 60 mph, and travel a distance of 8000 feet. Still no word on how high it can go, or if it can exceed the altitude where it’s boosted by that helpful ground effect. But this is a great improvement over the demos from last year. Oh hell yes. You know, this jetpack reminds me of the time I jumped off my neighbor’s holding a ceiling fan over my head — but with less flying to the moon and banging martians. They really do have green nipples! Martin Jetpack refined, available this year [dvice]

This is a test demonstrating what happens when a foreign object enters a jet engine before buying it dinner first. Wide Body, Blade-Out Jet Engine Test. Short video showing what happens when a foreign object such as a large bird is ingested in a jet engine. You don’t want to be onboard!!!! The joke during training was that you could ingest a 5 lb. bird at 250 kts………. or a 250 lb bird at 5 kts. They actually have a “chicken gun” they use to fire the chickens into the engines for these tests. Damn! Did that just say chicken gun? I want a chicken gun. Youtube Thanks to Ain, who once sucked a mourning dove into his jetpack’s engine and had to crash land in a tree, where he befriended a squirrel. Yay for happy endings!