XJP Jet Pack

Bio
The U.S. Air Force Jetpack X-JP is an experimental jet pack developed by the United States Air Force. Considered to make all other packs obsolete, it was a compact, lightweight pack with simple controls that anyone could operate. It had a range of 500 miles. After it washed up on the island, the Professor learned its fuel had a limited shelf life, resulting in it losing potency as it got older. Both Mr. Howell and Ginger conspired to trick Gilligan in using it to getting them rescued, and ironically, Gilligan became the best choice to pilot it, flying it once over the island before losing it somewhere over the island.



Ironically, despite being manufactured by the Military, the jet has a number of irregular features and drawbacks. The pack's sole control pads resemble bicycle handle bars, and the harness places the user's weight solely on the lower body extremities instead of supporting it from above. Furthermore, it lacks a parachute in the event of system failure.



Trivia

 * Only the men are tested in the High G Centrifuge for XJP candidacy. Since weight is a large factor in total flight length, it is interesting the Skipper is considered, and the women are not. (Although this is not necessarily an oversight as the Professor and Skipper most likely did not want to expose the women to danger).
 * There are considerable differences between the XJP version that appears in the Air Force test footage and the version used in the show. Under arm controls are replaced with over-shoulder controls. The stabilizing cage is missing as well as foil-wrapped hoses. Both versions lack any sort of back-up against equipment failure, namely a parachute.
 * It is worth noting that the XJP completely lacked any safety features in event of a system failure, such as a parachute.
 * A similar version of this Air Force real-life jetpack is used in the "Lost In Space" series.

Episode(s)

 * It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's Gilligan