Before you is the Medford, Oregon, workshop of Bob Maddox. From right to left in the main picture, there’s a pulsejet-powered bicycle; an under-construction, pulsejet-powered land-speed racer; two pulsejets on test stands in the background; and a skateboard in the front that, well—at this point, you get the idea. Bob would probably strap a pulsejet onto anything, including himself. As a matter of fact, he was the first thing he strapped to a pulsejet. In the late ’90s, Bob competed in tracking contests, which is a form of skydiving where jumpers try to cover as much horizontal ground as possible. During one jump, Bob’s friend just kept pulling away from him. That’s when Bob thought, I need a jet engine on my chest. When he reached the ground, Bob decided…
