Awesome Jets

Jake Laser wishes he could run as fast as Usain Bolt. But he’s never going to achieve that goal without some mechanical assistance. So he got to work figuring out the best way to increase his running speed through a series of experiments with jets, a windsurfing wing, low-friction shoe soles, and lots of practice.

ProjectAir has been working for a while on a high-speed RC car powered by a jet turbine. After working out some aerodynamic issues, he took the car to a race track and launched it down a long straight. It topped out around 118 mph, but like many things involving high speeds and jet fuel, failure is always an option.

Not long ago, Bob “Rocketman” Maddox fired up his Beast Jet Kart – but he only pushed its accelerator pedal down about halfway. This time, he went full throttle, driving the obnoxiously loud go-kart through the desert at about 60 mph. We’re impressed he didn’t drop his selfie stick.

This pure-electric jet plane can take off and land without a runway. The Lilium Jet can transition from hover to airplane mode once airborne, using a proprietary Ducted Electric Vectored Thrust Jet that can transition between vertical and horizontal. The aircraft shown in the video is their 5th-generation test vehicle.

Robert “Rocketman” Maddox is back with another crazy jet-powered vehicle which he hopes will be his fastest yet. The Dragon Kart 270-pound thrust engine lets out a bellow that’s sure to wake the neighbors. He’s yet to equip it with brakes or a seatbelt, but he still took the thing for a brief ride.

The last time we checked in with Bob “Rocketman” Maddox, he was grinning ear-to-ear on his jet-powered go-kart. Now he’s riding an even more dangerous-looking vehicle – a skateboard with a Maddoxjets Cyclone 50 Pulsejet engine strapped to its deck, and barely a place to sit. It tops out around 50 mph, but it might as well be 300.

A normal turbo-jet engine runs entirely on ignited fuel. Integza built something a little different – a jet engine that uses an electric motor to spin its compressor. He made its main chambers out of empty butane cans, while its fuel source is a mix of butane and propane. Along the way, he built a low-budget spot welder.

Bob “Rocketman” Maddox shows off his totally insane go-kart that’s powered by three valveless jet pulsejet engines. It runs on propane and diesel fuel and has a top speed of 60 mph. It’s so loud through our speakers we can only imagine what it sounds like sitting in the driver’s seat.

One of the main reasons people buy a Tesla is that it runs on electric power. So the idea of outfitting a Model S with jet engines seems pretty counterintuitive. Warped Perception not only equipped his car with a trio of jet engines, he went the extra mile by adding a console with aircraft throttle controls inside the cabin.

Builder Steve Jones got his hands on the jet engine nacelle from an old Royal Air Force VC10 airplane, and has since transformed the circular housing into a truly unique camper. It can sleep four in its cozy living space, which can transform into a dining room. Check out the full build history on the project’s Facebook page.

Built for air-to-air combat, the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor is an incredibly agile and fast military aircraft. Members of the U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor Demo Team show off just a little bit of what these planes are capable of in the hands of skilled pilots. They also posted a 360º video which is a bit more immersive.

The Slow Mo Guys are currently separated by an ocean, but they managed to collaborate on their latest clip, and teamed up with maker Colin Furze to go up close and personal with one of his brilliant pulse jet engines. Though they had to travel back in time to create it.

Paddling along in a canoe can be a quiet and relaxing pastime. But the guys at The Hacksmith are having none of that. So they took a couple of jet engines from a past project and mounted them to the back of their boat. The finished canoe is crazy loud, quick, and looks dangerously flippable.

We’ve seen a remote-controlled jumbo jet fly before, but there’s something about this featherweight model that makes it extra special. Despite having a wingspan of nearly 10 feet, this model weighs just 6.6 pounds. RC Media World captured footage of Remy Mormino’s 1/26th scale Airbus A-380 as it took to the skies in Germany.

The supersonic Concorde jet planes have been retired, so the only way to witness the majesty of this marvel in flight is through replica models. RCScaleAirplanes shares footage of Otto Widlroither’s incredible 1/6-scale version of the jet. It measures 33 feet long, has a 13 foot wingspan, and is powered by four JetCat P300 Pro turbines.

YouTuber The S loves to make stuff from cardboard, and often incorporates matchsticks into his designs. In this clip, he compiles four builds which incorporate jet engines powered by numerous lit matches. While they don’t travel that fast, the fiery launches are quite the spectacle.