A hilarious pop-socio-cultural history of the greatest invention that never was, the jetpack, and a participatory journey through the bizarre subculture of jetpack enthusiasts in search of a working model. Jetpack dreams chronicles the colorful pop history and science of jetpacks, from the first flimsy, shoulder-mounted wings to Bill Suitor's 1984 Olympic flight; from a gruesome jetpack-driven murder in Houston in the mid-1990s to the secret laboratories and government facilities of today. Journalist Mac Montandon also explores Hollywood's fascination with the subject, from the Jetsons and Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow to the cultural jetpack phenomenon represented by Buck Rogers, James Bond, and Boba Fett. He travels the world to meet jetpack enthusiasts, who are readying their own personal flying machines for takeoff. Ultimately, it's the search for an answer to one simple question: Where is the jetpack that was promised to him, and to all of us, years ago? And if it's out there, can he catch a ride?