Secrets of ultimate gadget revealed; history of the amazing rocketbelt

A new book reveals the secret history of one of the most wanted gadgets of all time - the amazing rocketbelt. The Rocketbelt Caper by Paul Brown (ISBN 9780955218378) tells the story of the rocketbelt, a jetpack-type flying backpack powered by hydrogen peroxide rocket fuel.

Originally a staple of early sci-fi, flown by Buck Rogers, James Bond and the Jetsons, the rocketbelt was developed for real by the Nazis at the end of World War II, and then built and tested by Bell Aerosystems for the US Army in the 1960s. Declared too expensive and impractical for military use, the rocketbelt became an entertainment attraction, flying at sporting events and carnivals around the world, and appearing in movies such as Thunderball and The Rocketeer.

In the 1990s, an attempt by three friends to build a rocketbelt to generate cash from entertainment bookings resulted in a feud that ended with one friend kidnapped, another in jail, and a third the victim of a brutal murder. The Rocketbelt 2000 murder mystery is investigated in The Rocketbelt Caper book.

Amazingly, rocketbelts are now available to buy, with two companies offering to sell the device and training packages to members of the public for around $200,000.

'I was fascinated to learn that rocketbelts were real and not just a movie or television prop,' says author Paul Brown. 'Maybe one day we'll all have one!'

A movie based on the Rocketbelt 2000 story, Pretty Bird starring Paul Giamatti (Sideways) and Billy Crudup (Almost Famous), will be released in 2008.

The Rocketbelt Caper: A True Tale of Invention, Obsession and Murder by Paul Brown is published by Tonto Press and is available from all good book shops, priced £8.99. Information, photos, videos can be found on the website: www.rocketbeltcaper.co.uk