Archives > Celina Record > News
Print
E-mail
Comment
Rate
RSS
Share
Celina Fire volunteer jetpacks all over world
Schlund flies into Celina Balloon Festival next month
Penny Rathbun
prathbun@starlocalnews.com
He is the lightning, or more accurately, the lightning is strapped to his back.
When he isn’t arriving from the sky at events such as the upcoming Celina Balloon Festival, the qualified jetpack pilot is a volunteer and EMS trainee with the Celina Fire Department.
“There are two commonalities between flying a jetpack and being on an ambulance. There are no second chances,” Schlund said.
He should know. On one of his first jetpack flights he made a rough landing that resulted in serious injury and months in the hospital.
He underwent multiple skin graft surgeries and a lengthy recuperative process, but got right back up on the horse or right back in the air and continued flying.
He is also a stunt man and stunt coordinator for movies and television and is a member of the Screen Actors Guild.
Most of his jetpack flying work comes from making sky entrances at major events such as the grand opening of Ocean Park in Hong Kong, rugby match opening in Paris, France, a Loreal promotion in Austria and the opening of the balloon festival next month in Celina, Texas.
The McKinney resident also has a career as a motivational speaker. A favorite topic is how to conquer fear and have more confidence.
He is one of a handful of jetpack pilots in the world.
The jetpack was invented by Wendell Moore, chief engineer at the Bell Aircraft Company. He was assigned the task of designing small thruster rockets to help control the BellX-1 rocket plane, the first craft to smash the sound barrier. It was a small leap from that to think of strapping a rocket engine to a pilot’s back.
The one-person rocket engine was originally known as the rocketbelt. Jetpack is the modern term. The primary ingredient in the fuel is hydrogen peroxide.
The jetpack never caught on as a mode of popular transportation because all the fuel must be carried on the pilot’s back and a flight can last, at the most 30 seconds. Jetpack air travel is also not cost effective. The cost of a typical flight costs about $18,000, including the fuel and a one-person ground crew.
That hasn’t hampered Schlund from earning a living as a jetpack pilot. He has made flights at various events all over the world, though he hasn’t shattered the sound barrier.
He has made his usual airborne entrance more than once dressed as Santa Claus. Having Schlund to jetpack in as Kris Kringle would certainly add a memorable touch to a holiday party.
The following are comments from the readers.
In no way do they represent the view of Starlocalnews.com
In no way do they represent the view of Starlocalnews.com
You must register with a valid email to post comments.
Only your Member ID will be posted with the comments.
Only your Member ID will be posted with the comments.
Registered users sign in here:
Become a Registered User
- Return to: News «
- Home «
- Top of Page ^
