Great American Jet Pack : The Quest for the Ultimate Individual Lift Device (9781613744338) by Lehto Steve

Author:Lehto, Steve [Lehto, Steve]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: Independent Pub Group
Published: 2012-11-19T22:00:00+00:00

13

THE ROCKET BELT RETURNS

Contrary to the writings of the New York Times, jet packs were never forgotten or abandoned. They just slipped off the public’s radar because corporations such as Bell and Williams were no longer actively developing them. However, an active interest in the devices had grown over time. Individuals, using their own money, built and operated rocket belts. Some spent years and tens of thousands of dollars in their quest to fly.

The same year that Bell grounded their rocket belt flying team, a Hollywood moviemaker named Nelson Tyler built his own rocket belt. He saw Suitor fly the Bell Rocket Belt at Disneyland in 1965 and decided he wanted one. He had built amazing devices for filmmaking and thought he could probably build a rocket belt if set his mind to it. He asked Suitor if he could get his picture taken with Suitor while he was still wearing the belt. Tyler held a measuring stick in his hand so that he could extrapolate measurements for the belt from the photographs. He then set out to copy the Bell design as best he could based upon his photographs and other photos and drawings he could get his hands on. He ran into a snag when he got to the throttle valve; photographs of the belt didn’t reveal the details and nuance of the device. Doing further research, he found the name of the National Water Lift Company, who had manufactured and sold the original rocket belt valve to Bell. People at National Water Lift knew the dimensions and measurements of the parts and were happy to help Tyler out.

Tyler sold his car to raise some of the funds. It cost him around $15,000 to build what he called the NT-1.1 He fired the engines with the device tethered, but he couldn’t seem to get the belt to work. Tyler discovered one of the facts of rocket science that others would learn after him: the belts can be finicky and it takes specialized knowledge to get them to fly. Tyler knew he had to consult an expert.

He contacted Bill Suitor for help in fine-tuning the belt and Suitor was happy to oblige. In fact, Suitor had only recently left the employ of Bell and thought he might never see a rocket belt fly again. Suitor hopped on a plane to California and was soon firing Tyler’s rocket belt’s engines. He confirmed that it appeared to be operational. Even though the belt had not been manufactured by Bell, Suitor believed it would safely fly. He put it on and took it for a flight. It was just like flying the Bell belt. Tyler hadn’t built the belt for any particular purpose: he was simply fascinated by the belt and had decided to act on the impulse.2 Tyler would be the first of many individuals who, after seeing the belt demonstrated someplace, would be compelled to build one of their own.

Tyler—after training from Suitor—was soon flying his own rocket belt. Through his Hollywood connections, he managed to make some commercial appearances with it.

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