Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s a bloke with a jet pack: Aviator takes to the skies in maiden flight

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The residents of Monaco parked their luxury yachts and put down their champagne to crane their necks skyward yesterday to see one man’s maiden flight over the Mediterranean waters.

In a scene straight out of a James Bond film, entrepreneur and aviator David Mayman took to the skies in a test flight of his personal jet pack.

The inventor and CEO of JetPack Aviation was in Monaco to test his latest jet pack, the JB-10, which the firm claims to be ‘the most technically advanced personal flying machine ever created’.

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Entrepreneur and aviator David Mayman (pictured) took to the skies in a test flight of his personal jet pack, the JB-10

Mayman has previously grabbed headlines with his jet packs, including a high profile flight around the Statue of Liberty in 2015 with the JB-10’s predecessor.

The latest flight is part of a European tour for the Australian entrepreneur and chief designer Nelson Tyler.

Crowds gathered at the Océanograpique Museum’s heliport yesterday afternoon at 5pm local time to see test pilot Mayman take to the JB-10 on its maiden flight.

Speaking to Monaco Lifestyle Magazine, the test pilot said: ‘This flight is the culmination of years of work by Nelson [Tylor] and me. But today is just the beginning.

The pack itself is lightweight enough to be carried by a single person and can reportedly fly for up to 10 minutes and reach speeds of 60 mph (96 kph)

David Mayman (pictured) has previously grabbed headlines with his jet packs, including a high profile flight around the Statue of Liberty in 2015 with the JB-10’s predecessor

‘JetPack Aviation is already working on a personal flying machine that will be so safe and simple to operate, it could be used by average commuters in daily life.

‘We have just proved that personal flight is a reality, it is here now, and we will stay at the forefront of this exciting new industry.’

The pack itself is lightweight enough to be carried by a single person and can reportedly fly for up to 10 minutes and reach speeds of 60 mph (96 kph).

It uses twin turbo jets which have been specially adapted, reducing the size compared to turbofans, which run cooler and consume less fuel.

During the test flight, Mayman took off from the helipad before flying around the marina for more than two minutes before landing back in the same spot. 

TEST FLIGHT IN MONACO: JETPACK AVIATION'S MAIDEN FLIGHT OF THE JB-10

The JB-10 is the latest iteration of personal jet packs from JetPack Aviation. 

The pack itself is lightweight enough to be carried by a single person and can reportedly fly for up to 10 minutes and reach speeds of 60 mph (96 kph).

Mounted to each side is a small engine that provides upward thrust. The JB-10 uses twin turbo jets which have been specially adapted, reducing the size compared to turbofans, which run cooler and consume less fuel.

Its inventors says it is 'inherently stable but also capable of very dynamic manoeuvres thanks to our approach to engine vectoring'.

The JB-9 used a carbon-fibre corset that straps to the pilot's back, with the majority of the 'backpack' section carrying fuel. 

The JB-10 is the latest iteration of personal jet packs from JetPack Aviation, which it hopes could eventually be safe and simple enough for commuters to use in daily life

Test pilot David Mayman took off from the heliport of the Musee Océanograpique on Monaco's Mediterranean coastline 

The pack itself is lightweight enough to be carried by a single person and can reportedly fly for up to 10 minutes and reach speeds of 60 mph (96 kph)

It uses twin turbo jets which have been specially adapted, reducing the size compared to turbofans, which run cooler and consume less fuel

Lift-off: With crowds watching, test pilot David Mayman carefully took off from the heliport for the maiden flight of the JB-10

The firm behind the JB-10, JetPack Aviation, hopes its personal jet packs could eventually be safe and simple enough for people to fly to work

In a flight lasting more than two minutes crowds watched the pilot fly over the deep blue Mediterranean waters

Following the flight, Mayman landed safely back on the helipad before waving to the gathered crowds

Thumbs up: After a successful maiden flight along the Monaco coastline, David Mayman gives the thumbs up to the crowds