Meet the inventor they call ‘the real life Iron Man’ [Video]

Many of you have probably seen him on TV or in a YouTube video before but aren’t even aware of it. We’re talking about a man named Richard Browning, the founder of a personal jetpack company call Gravity Industries.

Richard Browning comes from a family of pilots, with one of his grandfathers having been a wartime pilot, while the other used to run Westland Helicopters. On top of that, Browning used to build and fly balsawood gliders with his father all the time. Because of this, he took a liking to aviation from a young age.

That interest is what inspired Browning to attempt to create a personal jetpack “for fun,” something a lot of us have always wished we had. The difference here is that Browning was successful in his endeavor.

Now, Gravity Industries is a successful, multimillion-dollar business with big investors. The company now gets hired by organizations to put on impressive displays using one of the personal jetpacks. Individuals can also try the jetpack out for themselves with an instructor for the hefty price of about $8,000.

The jetpack or “jetsuit,” more fittingly, is powered by multiple jet engines, which together generate 1,050 horsepower.

Let’s address the elephant in the room; can you purchase one of these jetpacks? The answer is yes, but as you’d assume, it doesn’t come cheap. You can currently pick one up for just over $400,000, and if you do happen to buy one, you don’t even get to take it home. The company keeps it in one of their hangars for you to use when you’d like.

Via The Guardian