The personal propulsion system is, according to the creators, capable of sustaining flight for up to 75 seconds – which is longer than has ever been achieved before with a jetpack.

According to Carmelo “Nino” Amarena – the founder of Thunderbolt Aerosystems – the idea was born of his desire to shorten the gruelling commute to his Bay Area office.

The work represents more than a decade’s worth of effort to apply modern rocket fuels and propulsion technologies to create a practical and economical personal air vehicle – a 21st Century update of the iconic hydrogen peroxide-powered prototypes of the early 1960s.

Amarena consulted the engineers and test pilots who had developed and flown the first rocket belts, and reviewed company and government technical data and designs in the public domain to quickly develop and peer-review a new design.

The resulting product uses an innovative dual-fuel system, a new catalyst design, specially-formulated fuel “promoters” and novel, lightweight materials.

His company now plans to develop a jet-powered Thunderjet with exponentially greater capability.

“Initial conceptual plans for the Thunderjet system promise 10-fold increases over state of the art rocket belt capabilities,” a company press release said, before jetting skywards.

With improved engines and manufacturing designs, Amarena expects to have developed a system within a year that is capable of providing up to 35 minutes of sustained flight.

Thunderpacks can be ordered now and delivered at a price under $100,000.