Sherman's Travel

If having a hotel bartender craft the perfect medium-dry vodka martini doesn’t completely satisfy your James Bond fantasy, be advised that something very 007-ish is debuting this month at the TradeWinds Island Grand resort on St. Pete Beach: Water-propelled jet pack rides, by way of a contraption called a JetLev.

After being schooled for ten minutes at the TradeWinds JetLev Flight Center and signing – you guessed it – a release form acknowledging that operating the jet pack is a hazardous activity, you’ll head behind the resort, strap on a life jacket, and get harnessed into the pack.

How does a water-propelled jet pack work? According to TradeWinds, the JetLev “is powered by a custom-designed 225 horsepower engine,” which creates “600-800 gallons per minute of thrust,” propelling the pilot (you) to a height of up to 30 feet at speeds up to 30 mph. You’ll be trained to control the JetLev, but a flight instructor will stand by to work the pack’s throttle remotely, if need be. And a flight assistant, riding a wave runner alongside, will act as your wingman.

As I have not yet piloted a JetLev, I can’t describe the sensation. But the people in this video seem pretty excited about it. Read more