Long Beach Swap Meet

Jet-pack man soaring above California waters

The 51-year-old Seal Beach, Calif., man for a few weeks has been buzzing around Huntington Harbour, where tests of his "H20 Jet Pack" have led to rampant rubbernecking among motorists, impromptu crowds among passersby and at least a little attention from a police helicopter.

"The coolest thing ever," said Costa Mesa, Calif., resident Margie Do, who pulled over to snap photos after seeing a man flying in circles while propelled by twin columns of surging saltwater.

"Really the coolest thing I've ever seen," added Huntington Beach, Calif., resident Staci Guillen, who had also pulled over and who watched for two hours as Wilson's friends zoomed about the bay.

Various versions of the contraption have long been the stuff of fantasy for woefully wingless humans. Bond glamorized the concept in "Thunderball," the armed forces have studied military applications, and at the 2007 Tournament of Roses Parade, a "rocketman" blew away onlookers with 25 seconds of airborne action.

Wilson conceived his gizmo less than one year ago after seeing a similar device (known as Jetlev) advertised on YouTube. It's priced at a cool $99,500, putting hydro flight out of reach for all but the very wealthy or, in Wilson's case, the very clever.

"I said, 'Well, shoot, I'm going up to the farm in Idaho in August,'" Wilson recalled. "'I'm going to build one out of muffler pipe.'"

In Seal Beach since 1985, Wilson has made his living fixing things - sprinklers, plumbing, electrical - with leftover income supporting a fascination with tinkering.

"It pays to buy the parts and equipment," Wilson said of his profession. "Kind of like how the Wright Brothers were selling bicycles so they could build an airplane."

Inspiration for the H20 Jet Pack comes from Raymond Li, a Chinese Canadian who spent a decade researching, designing and marketing the Jetlev, which is patented and which hit the market this month.

A key difference between the machines is Jetlev's use of a pilotless device that propels the rider and likely contributes significantly to a nearly six-figure price tag.

Wilson simply attached his jet pack to a tube hooked on the back of a personal watercraft; a pilot on the watercraft hits the throttle to power the jet pack, whose occupant then steers by pulling and pushing two handles.

So-Cal Cycle Swap Meet - September September 25, 2011 | Long Beach ...

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