The crowd present at the Experimental Aircraft Association’s AirVenture 2008 witnessed the first public flight of the jetpack, performed by 16-year-old Harrison Martin, son of the inventor.

The flight lasted for several seconds, after the jetpack lifted Martin junior a few feet off the ground. The author of the invention is a 48-year-old inventor from New Zealand, who has been trying for years to make his project fulfill the dreams of many people: to fly.

Glenn Martin, who sees his hopes become reality after almost three decades of continuous work on the device, is hoping to be able to begin commercializing his invention starting next year, with a starting price of at least $100,000.