A new book, The Rocketbelt Caper, reveals the secret history of an amazing and iconic flying machine and the pioneering men who built and piloted it.
July 13, 2005 (Press Release) --
Buck Rogers owned one, and so did James Bond. The amazing rocketbelt - a rocket-powered flying backpack - was a science fiction gadget that actually became reality, being built and flown by brilliant inventors and fearless pilots.
The first working rocketbelt was developed and tested by Bell Aerospace for the US Army in the early sixties. Eventually deemed impractical for military use, the device became a lucrative entertainment attraction, appearing in the James Bond movie Thunderball, and at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.
Elsewhere, wannabe rocketeers attempted to build their own rocketbelts. Most notably, three friends from Houston, Texas, built the superb Rocketbelt 2000, but their obsession with the machine shattered their friendship and set in motion an astonishing chain of events involving deception, assault, a bizarre kidnapping, a ten million dollar lawsuit, and a horrifically brutal murder.
The Rocketbelt Caper: A True Tale of Invention, Obsession and Murder by Paul Brown (Lulu Press, $17.99) presents the complete history of the amazing rocketbelt, and reveals the incredible true story of the Rocketbelt 2000 caper. It also features an instructive Building a Rocketbelt essay, plus photographs.
“I’ve long been amazed by rocketbelts in movies and on television,” says author Paul Brown. “It was fascinating to learn that people around the world are building and flying these things, and maybe one day we’ll all have one!”
About the book:
The Rocketbelt Caper: A True Tale of Invention, Obsession and Murder by Paul Brown is published in paperback by Lulu Press and is available from Amazon and all good bookstores, SRP US$17.99, ISBN 1411629841.
Paul Brown is a freelance journalist and author from Newcastle upon Tyne, in the United Kingdom. He is available for interview via telephone and email.
For review copies and images for publication visit www.rocketbeltcaper.co.uk.
Contact:
Paul Brown (author)
(UK) 0798 6550873
(US) 011 44 798 6550873
info@rocketbeltcaper.co.uk
www.rocketbeltcaper.co.uk
The first working rocketbelt was developed and tested by Bell Aerospace for the US Army in the early sixties. Eventually deemed impractical for military use, the device became a lucrative entertainment attraction, appearing in the James Bond movie Thunderball, and at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.
Elsewhere, wannabe rocketeers attempted to build their own rocketbelts. Most notably, three friends from Houston, Texas, built the superb Rocketbelt 2000, but their obsession with the machine shattered their friendship and set in motion an astonishing chain of events involving deception, assault, a bizarre kidnapping, a ten million dollar lawsuit, and a horrifically brutal murder.
The Rocketbelt Caper: A True Tale of Invention, Obsession and Murder by Paul Brown (Lulu Press, $17.99) presents the complete history of the amazing rocketbelt, and reveals the incredible true story of the Rocketbelt 2000 caper. It also features an instructive Building a Rocketbelt essay, plus photographs.
“I’ve long been amazed by rocketbelts in movies and on television,” says author Paul Brown. “It was fascinating to learn that people around the world are building and flying these things, and maybe one day we’ll all have one!”
About the book:
The Rocketbelt Caper: A True Tale of Invention, Obsession and Murder by Paul Brown is published in paperback by Lulu Press and is available from Amazon and all good bookstores, SRP US$17.99, ISBN 1411629841.
Paul Brown is a freelance journalist and author from Newcastle upon Tyne, in the United Kingdom. He is available for interview via telephone and email.
For review copies and images for publication visit www.rocketbeltcaper.co.uk.
Contact:
Paul Brown (author)
(UK) 0798 6550873
(US) 011 44 798 6550873
info@rocketbeltcaper.co.uk
www.rocketbeltcaper.co.uk
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