From: [r--s--n] at [crl.com] (Alissa Ralston)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.gurps
Subject: Re: Vehicle: low TL8 jetpack
Date: 27 Aug 1996 13:05:59 -0700

Modular Design Jetpack (TL8)
Copyright (C) 1996 by David Ralston ([d--vi--r] at [branson.org])
 
The modular design jetpack is a backpack vehicle built for Low TL8 worlds 
(GURPS Cyberworld).  It is an extremely simple design and is very cheap.  
It can be successfully put together by any competent engineer and is very 
simple to use.  Its only drawbacks are fuel considerations and weight.  
The modular design attempts to handle both of these problems 
simultaneously.  By making the fuel tank (which is over half of the 
weight) detachable, they could be left in places where a player might 
know he would need one and quickly hooked up.  Also, there is no reason 
why you couldn't build more than one fuel tank.  The jetpack with fuel is 
probably too heavy to be carried around; even without the fuel it weighs 
nearly 100 lb.  It has no weaponry, and for that matter no accessories 
whatsoever.  It has light armor on its backside, but nowhere else.  
 
With its joystick control anybody could probably go somewhere, and with 
its limited fuel endurance you probably couldn't get fast enough to kill 
yourself (although a crash with fuel left in the tank could be bad).  The 
design assumes a loaded mass of 400 lb., which includes 160 lb. of 
person.  The exhaust is vectored low through a long exhaust pipe, but 
you'd better wear asbestos pants anyway.
 
Structure:  6 c.f. extra-heavy body.  Made of standard materials.  
Maximum load is 540 lb.      (Body HT 60).  Vertol flight system, sealed 
body.

Propulsion: 600 LB thrust TL7 chemical rocket, uses 600 gallons fuel per 
hour.  25 gallon       self sealing fuel tank of rocket fuel (Fire 10), 
lasts for 2.5 seconds.

Accommodations: harness, no windows
Crew requirements: one operator
Armor: 30 pts expensive armor.  F 6/30, everywhere else, nothing.
Weaponry: none
Accessories: none, except modular design.  2 parts, 1 for the fuel and 1 
for everything else.

Statistics: cost $2,065, design mass 400 lb., max payload 140 lb. (290 
with no fuel),   aerial MR 1, SR 2, size modifier -1 (0 with person), 
radar same, IR +3/+4, acoustic     +5 (wear earplugs too)

Ground performance: none, and it makes the person wearing it slow down, 
even without the        fuel
Water performance: none, but you could bring it underwater with the 
sealed body.

Aerial performance: top speed 232.5 mph, but you'll never get so fast 
with the fuel limit.      Accelerate at 16.5 mph/s.  This is roughly 
equal to a squared move of 8, so in 2.5      seconds moving horizontally 
it could go 44 yards.  Going straight up with a mass of     400 lb. it 
could get to 51 feet high before the fuel ran out, and after that 
it could get to  77 feet high before it would start to come down 
once more.  So a jump     from the ground to a seventh story rooftop 
could be done with only a 7 foot drop for    the user.