--- title: Jetpack Flies Around Statue of Liberty: 'World's Only' description: Personal flight technology soared to whole new levels recently when Jetpack Aviation unveiled its JB-9 jetpack. canonical: https://time.com/4108970/worlds-only-jetpack-circles-statue-of-liberty/ author: Megan McCluskey article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-11-11T20:54:07.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:47:56.562Z og:title: The 'World's Only Jetpack' Circled the Statue of Liberty og:description: It can keep users in the air for around 10 minutes og:url: https://time.com/4108970/worlds-only-jetpack-circles-statue-of-liberty/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1870c9b01e5541e5/698870a05f570f5109b1e48e/jetpack-statue-of-liberty.jpg?branch=production&width=495&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 495 og:image:height: 278 og:image:alt: Statue of Liberty og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: The 'World's Only Jetpack' Circled the Statue of Liberty twitter:description: It can keep users in the air for around 10 minutes twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1870c9b01e5541e5/698870a05f570f5109b1e48e/jetpack-statue-of-liberty.jpg?branch=production&width=495&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Watch the 'World's Only Jetpack' Circle the Statue of Liberty > Sponsored content. 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It covers the reporting, scoops and conversations shaping AI and the decisions facing leaders. #### Where can I get reported AI news rather than commentary? In the Loop is TIME's AI newsletter, built on original reporting and access to the people building and governing AI. It publishes Tuesdays and Fridays and is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who writes TIME's In the Loop? Harry Booth, a tech reporter at TIME, writes In the Loop. #### Is In the Loop free? Yes. In the Loop is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-loop-2026q3/newsletters?i=f697c364-2485-4cff-8351-05f61858efb5&cr=time-nl-loop-2026q3-v1) ## Video: What is the safest place to sit on a plane? [Watch (HLS stream): What is the safest place to sit on a plane?](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/bJ6pkbGM.m3u8) (1:50)  _Published 2015-06-24. Where you should sit next time you get onboard_  by [Megan McCluskey](https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/)  ## Megan McCluskey Staff Writer Nov 11, 2015 8:54 PM UTC  Statue of Liberty silhouetted at dawn Statue of Liberty silhouetted at dawn WIN-Initiative/Getty  by [Megan McCluskey](https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/)  ## Megan McCluskey Staff Writer Nov 11, 2015 8:54 PM UTC Personal flight technology soared to whole new levels recently when Jetpack Aviation unveiled its JB-9 jetpack, “the world’s only real jetpack,” according to[ the company](http://jetpackaviation.com). And what better way to show off the invention than to take it on a maiden voyage around the Statue of Liberty? David Mayman, the Australian inventor of the JB-9, debuted his device by flying it over the Hudson River and around the iconic New York landmark on Nov. 3\. The jetpack runs on kerosene, uses small-scale airplane engines and can keep users floating in the air for around 10 minutes, according to [Gizmag](http://www.gizmag.com/jetpack-aviation-new-york-flight/40286/). However, Mayman said that his company’s description of “world’s only jetpack” depends on someone’s definition of the term. “As far as we’re concerned, a jetpack is something that you can take off and land from vertically,” he told [Hack](http://www.abc.net.au/triplej/hack/stories/s4349808.htm), an Australian Broadcasting Corporation podcast. “So if you can imagine walking out your front door and being able to take off from your porch.” Check out the video of the flight below: ## Transcript [00:01] Where is the safest place sit on a plane? According to the [00:05] Federal Aviation Administration, there is no safest seating [00:07] area because survivability depends on the circumstances [00:11] of the accident. That's true, but Time analyzed 17 [00:15] accidents since 1980 and look at two key. Section [00:20] of the plane, and row position. Here's what we found. The [00:24] middle of the cabin historically has the highest overall a [00:28] fatality rates. More specifically, the middle aisle seats, [00:32] where the fatality rates are 57 % higher than the safest seat [00:35] on the plane. Let's move to the back of the plane. You [00:38] know, the seats closer to the bathrooms. Well according to [00:41] our research, these are the safest of the aircraft, but it's not [00:45] just the rear of the plane that's more secure. It's the middle [00:48] seats in the back rows. The fatality rate here is 28 %, [00:53] compared to 44 % up here. Now, for passengers who [00:57] survived a plane's impact Having a seat closer to an [01:00] emergency exit in case of say a fire is crucial. People [01:04] who are positioned within one or two rows of the exit can [01:07] evacuate quicker. [ MUSIC ] [01:11] Keep in mind, our analysis is based on a small sample [01:14] size. Since 1980 there have only been 17 flight accidents [01:18] with both those who survived and who didn't And that had [01:21] available seating charts. Most crashes only happen in the [01:25] first three minutes and the last eight minutes of the flight. [01:28] So keep your shoes on. Of all of the accidents that have [01:31] happened in the last 30 years, the fatality rate is very low, [01:35] only 4 %. The average person only has a one in 8000 [01:40] chance of ever [ MUSIC ] Ever dying in a plane accident. 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