The Case of the Missing Rocket Belt

Anonymous Coward writes "ABC News is running a very interesting article about the story behind those rocket belts you've seen in some movies. Apparently there are only three known to exist but one of them has gone missing leaving a trail of death and intrigue in its wake. From the article: 'One of its developers was found beaten to death in his Houston home, another is a suspect in the killing, and a third faces a possible life sentence for kidnapping the second and holding him hostage for seven days with a hood over his head.'"

Mmmmm

[Bullfrog]

I bet one of the developers was Dr Evil.

He's now working on a compact version... called MiniBelt.

Bullfrog

You shoulda seen their faces.

[El_Smack]

From the article:
"Starting in the mid-1980s, Gibson, who was a stunt double for action star Chuck Norris, ran a side business exhibiting his rocket belts at cultural and sporting events around the world."
I remember seeing this during the intermission of "M. Butterfly". It really woke up the crowd!

Simpsons

[smoondog]

Didn't Bart buy a super belt once that got him beat up? If I remember that was the episode Homer got mauled in. Anyway, the missing belt'll turn up on eBay soon anyway....

BTW - /. has been mighty freaky recently. Testing the new front page ads?

-Sean

Re:Simpsons

[jcsehak]

I have the missing 3rd rocket belt. I traded it for an extension cord. *shrug* He was ragging on it.

Re:Simpsons

[smoondog]

I don't remember Homer getting mauled... ....
Homer goes to get belt back from Jimbo and friend's parents and gets beat up. ....

Uhh, from webster.com:

Main Entry: maul
Function: transitive verb
Date: 13th century
1 : BEAT, BRUISE
2 : MANGLE 1
3 : to handle roughly

-Sean (Bold added by me)

Note to self:

[Kargan]

Do not develop rocket belt.

Re:Note to self:

[slagdogg]

Addendum to note to self:

If creating rocket belt with two psychotic friends, make three.

Re:Note to self:

[Anonymous Coward]

Addendum to addendum to note to self:

Sabotage thier belts.

I know where it is ...

[Hektor_Troy]

It's my my back ya...

--carrier lost.

Joke:

[hackwrench]

Conclusive proof that rocket belts drive you crazy.

Somebody explain this

[Eric Seppanen]

...But not many people know that working rocket belts actually exist. They were developed for the Army in the late 1950s, and after the Army decided they were not suitable for military use, dedicated civilians kept a few models in operation.

Today, three rocket belts are known to exist. Two are owned by Howard "Kinnie" Gibson, a daredevil and stuntman who acquired the patent on an essential part of the design.

If they were invented in the late 1950s, how is it possible that some guy still has a patent on part of the design, over 40 years later?

Re:Somebody explain this

[c.derby]

He more than likely has a patent on part of the newer, re-designed version.

Re:Somebody explain this

[DiveX]

It was probably invented by someone at Disney.

Re:Somebody explain this

[macdaddy357]

Disney eh? Did anyone else notice how much this story reads like the plot of The Rocketeer?

Re:Somebody explain this

[rworne]

Or like that live action Ark 2000 they used to show on Saturday mornings.

Re:Somebody explain this

[tinguru]

Just because a patent has expired, how does that invalidate a past-tense statement that he acquired a patent? If I buy a house, and then I lose the house because it burns down, its still valid to say that I bought a house, even though I don't have it anymore. I don't see where it says he still has patent rights today.

Re:Somebody explain this

[Lars T.]

Maybe because he patented it later? How much top-secret stuff do you think is patented anyway? Because patenting something always means putting it on public record. If you look at where the word "patent" comes from, it actually means "open".

Now, I am not a rocket scientist but . . .

[datastew]

Aren't things like this generally cheaper to mass-produce. Why didn't the guys make a few rocket belts and avoid this problem altogether? If it was made by "machinists and engineers" then a large portion of the costs are setup costs, R&D, and other one-time costs.

Not commercially viable

[shadowj]

The problem is not that the machines are too expensive to produce; it's that there's no incentive to produce them on any scale. You need a truckload of support hardware, the fuel (hydrogen peroxide) is nasty stuff, and I imagine you'd have government regulators of all flavors descend upon you like flies to shit as soon as you have a working product.

And once you get all of that together... you have a noisy, dangerous, difficult-to-handle flying machine that will carry one very skilled pilot for about 30 seconds.

There may be a market for a few units for sports events, exhibitions, and... oh, wait, we already have that covered, don't we?

They didn't get around to it...

[Guiness17]

Well, my read on the story is that they got busy 'offing each other just when the belt got finished up.

Re:Now, I am not a rocket scientist but . . .

[aluminumcube]

I am sure they probably planned on making a few, but there is no point in mass producing a product before you have even tested it. After you test the final package however, mass production would be relatively easy.

The thing I don't get is why all these people are killing/kidnapping over this stupid device when they can just go call up the machinists/engineers and have them crank out another rocket belt. Heck, all you need are the CAD/CAM files... I have a Kitamura 3Xi CNC machine [kitamura-machinery.com], I'll be happy to build them a few.

Re:Now, I am not a rocket scientist but . . .

[Gerry Gleason]

It does make me wonder whether any of this is for real. Doesn't it all sound like a bad movie. Anyone seen it in operation (I kind of remember the Bond movie, but it wouldn't really have to work for that). I'm a little unclear on whether it is a recent or old patent. Wouldn't the patent related tech be public?

Re:Now, I am not a rocket scientist but . . .

[shadowj]

It's for real. See this link [internetage.com.au] for some history.

And it really did work in that Bond movie... no special effects there aside from using a trained pilot as a stunt double.

Don't know about the patent, but perhaps it covers some aspect of the newer design rather than the original belt.

Re:Now, I am not a rocket scientist but . . .

[Gerry Gleason]

Yes, but where is the connection to this story. They mention a different disposition of the original two. Did this guy get them later? I still think the recent story looks suspect, even if the concept is workable.

Re:Now, I am not a rocket scientist but . . .

[bman08]

it was in an episode of CHiPs once. A guy rocketed from the bed of a pickup up onto an overpass. The amazing thing is that the truck was in Bakersfield and the overpass was in Santa Monica.

Re:Now, I am not a rocket scientist but . . .

[guile*fr]

One was used for the Olympic games of 84 in Los Angeles.

LOTRB

[syd02]

One Rocket Belt to rule them all, One Rocket Belt to find them...

Re:LOTRB

[gfim]

You beat me to it (by a few days!)...

The third belt -- whose builders claim it is the most advanced ever constructed -- has gone missing, leaving a trail of death and intrigue in its wake.

"He liked to polish it every day, caress it. He wanted to see it and feel like it was his baby. He would never let it go and be out of his sight"

It's just too good!

Graham

"The case of the disagreeing business men...

[Alex]

.. and the easily hyped product" more like.

WTF is this on Slashdot for?

Alex

Notes to self:

[Bobulusman]

1. Steal rocket belt from partners.
2. Do not let Nazis get it.
3. Remember to patch that hole in it. Gum just won't cut it anymore.

Re:Notes to self:

[mmol_6453]

It's sad that such a reference to The Rocketeer [imdb.com] can go unnoticed.

Re:Notes to self:

[Bobulusman]

I'm glad I'm not the only one to remember that.

Re:Notes to self:

[corbettw]

No no, it's:
1: Steal rocket belt from partners.
2:
3: Profit!

Re:Notes to self:

[Anonymous Coward]

1: make joke about beowulf cluster
2: ???
3: PROFIT!!!

Re:Notes to self:

[Cybrr]

How about a Beowulf cluster of Profit jokes?

Nope, only two steps now. ;-)

[flogger]

From the article:
"And that was pretty much it: you know, build the belt, go out and make a lot of money, and that was it."

Which translates into:

1. Build a belt.
2. Profit!


(maybe I sohould be anonymous)

Re:Nope, only two steps now. ;-)

[broken_bones]

While the step by step cookbook plan to get rich is amusing its kind of sad to see how many people actually think that making money is that simple. Making money is hard. First you have to get that degree, then there's the lengthy process of lawsuits. If you really want to be rich you definitely need a "file lawsuit" step somewhere in the middle.

Only 3 ? Just Google search Bell jet pack

[Anonymous Coward]

I used to see the Bell ones advertised for $3-5K in back of magazines. Claimed 90 second flights, the sport being called Mountain Jumping.

Re:Only 3 ? Just Google search Bell jet pack

[mbstone]

That would make them easier to find than Segways [segway.com].

If someone put me in a pine box..

[MongooseCN]

..and starting drilling holes in it, I would have give in and given them the rocket pack. Little would they have known is that it would be a vacuum cleaner full of TNT.

Strap it on and try it out first, I want to make sure it's not missing any parts. Don't worry, most of you will be in the air soon.

Best listed article in a long time

[abulafia]

Slashdot finally posts something really amusing. It has been too long. This is the best article I've read all week. Extremely bizarre stuff, plus, it has rocket belts. What could be better than that?

-j

Re:Best listed article in a long time

[wadetemp]

What could be better than that?

Rocket belts *AND* Jennifer Connelly. No story of nerdy guys with rocket belts kicking Nazi ass on a the back of a zepplin is complete without her. Oh wait, wrong rocket belt story?

Thunderball

[Anonymous Coward]

A lot of people didn't realize that the opening scene of Thunderball was done without special effects. That real rocket belt was used, just by a trained operator of it.

Thankfully, they didn't use special effects because they would be atrocious. Just take a look at some of the stuff in Moonraker, and that's like 15 or 20 years later.

Broken link

[rweir]

Obviously [go.com]

Wierd storing

[Henry V .009]

So Stanley is facing life in jail because this guy Barker (a murder suspect) testified that Stanley kidnapped him? I wouldn't take Barker at his word.

Re:Wierd storing

[raju1kabir]

So Stanley is facing life in jail because this guy Barker (a murder suspect) testified that Stanley kidnapped him? I wouldn't take Barker at his word.

Fascinating. I'd be grateful if you can post a little bit more of your comprehensive review of the testimony and physical evidence presented at the trial.

Wow I knew that guy

[photon317]

A salesman I used to party with back at my old ISP job took me to a few parties a Joe Wright's house, I even did coke with him. Houston, owned a Car Audio store, had to be the same guy. Same time frame too, would have been during 1995. He and his freinds seemed a little shady, but who doesn't in the small business world. Never heard anything about him being involved with any rocket belt, but I guess it was probably a hush thing.

The guy was kinda wierd. He stocked up some sort of vitamin-B supplement in liquid injectable form in his kitchen. He loaded it in a hypo and shot himself with it every morning. Not sure if this was for some kind of medical problem, or he just thought it made him healthy.

Re:Wow I knew that guy

[mcknation]

"I even did coke with him."

"He and his freinds seemed a little shady, but who doesn't in the small business world."

So are you saying this dude was in Coke sales? Maybe the rocket belt is now being used for import purposes?

McK

Re:Wow I knew that guy

[photon317]

I don't think he was a drug dealer if that's what you mean. Just had stuff at parties.

Re:Wow I knew that guy

[stephanruby]

The guy may have had pernacious anemia.

"...pernicious anemia in humans is caused not by a vitamin B12 deficiency in the diet but rather the absence of a substance called the intrinsic factor, ordinarily secreted by the stomach and responsible for facilitating the absorption of B12 from the intestine. When a person's body cannot produce the intrinsic factor, the standard treatment today is to inject vitamin B12 directly into the bloodstream.[...]"
http://www.factmonster.com/ce6/sci/A0861824.html [factmonster.com]

Re:Wow I knew that guy

[Phil-14]

He and his friends seemed a little shady, but who doesn't in the small business world.

Sheesh, only on slashdot... well, then again, I take vitamin b supplements too, although not in injectable form, so maybe I shouldn't talk.

Next testpilot to be put away?

[Cheese Cracker]

Bill Suitor [canosoarus.com] should get some extra life insurance and some bodyguards...

Where to find it

[UniverseIsADoughnut]

How about looking in the trunk of James Bond's Austin Martin?

And now we know...

[Alien Being]

why firemen wear red suspenders.

Who does this guy think he is?

[Trogre]

Some kind of rocket scientist?

Oh no...

[Kaz Riprock]

...they're on to me! *ffffwwwooooooommm*

Easy to solve

[Cheese Cracker]

It doesn't take a rocket scientist in figuring out who's the murderer and who stole the rocket belt...
it was Duke Nukem!!! He has had this fascination with rocket belts ever since Duke Nukem 3D.
Whacking one guy and turn the two others against each other was all part of Duke's masterplan of
getting his hands on a real rocket belt.

Article Summary

[Anonymous Coward]

Punishment for beating guy with hammer, beating another man to death, and stealing 10 million dollar rocket belt: probation

Punishment for kidnapping: life in jail

Did the first guy have Johnny Cochran??

The Rocketeer

[Vulturejoe]

This sounds alot like that movie The Rocketeer, exept no nazis or zeppelins.

Re:The Rocketeer among OTHERS

[vortexau]

Why don't you mention King (of the Rocketmen), or Commander Cody?

(NB- look up Republic serials).

Then again, there was 'Rocket Ranger' courtesy of Cinemaware!

mmmm ... anyone remember Adam Strange and his Zita Beam? Alanana was HOT!

Question for all you Not-A-Lawyer's.

[mindstrm]

If you are forced to sign a contract at gunpoint, or otherwise under duress, is it not legally invalid?

Re:Question for all you Not-A-Lawyer's.

[V_M_Smith]

If you are forced to sign a contract at gunpoint, or otherwise under duress, is it not legally invalid?

Yes. A contract signed under duress (e.g. at gunpoint) is not entered into in good faith and is, therefore, invalid and not enforceable.

As always, IANAL (but my wife is).

Re:Question for all you Not-A-Lawyer's.

[stephanruby]

If you are forced to sign a contract at gunpoint, or otherwise under duress, is it not legally invalid?

So, the question is. Did this really happen? Is a guy smart enough to pay for the successful development of a rocket belt not smart enough to know something like this.

Re:Another ABC scoop...uhh...not quite

[sitemap]

TRUE : You are correct! hint : its the new fad to start your sentences with the words true or false ( when speaking use a really loud exagerated voice)

quotes of news sights real?

[sitemap]

so far on slashdot i have seen two articles based around quotes from ABC or another news station. one was on a large black whole in the middle of our solarsystem. and the other one, this, was about people being beaten to death because of rocket belts in movies. i guess i havnt watched the news recently enough or somthing. did the news channels change their topics to random shit that sounds weird? the only possible explenation i can think of is that there are some super market tabloids named abc news or somthing. my friend once got a super market tabloid is main that had an article on how china was going to take over the world Want to know how they were going to do it? all the chinese people were going to jump up and down at the same time enough to throw the world out of its orbit so that they could envade a confuded us. ill leave u with that thought

Last Post!

[alpg]

Destiny is a good thing to accept when it's going your way. When it isn't,
don't call it destiny; call it injustice, treachery, or simple bad luck.
-- Joseph Heller, "God Knows"

- this post brought to you by the Automated Last Post Generator...

Re:weird...

[coolfrood]

Never thought this would happen. People have actually stopped posting to /.

Re:weird...

[Max von H.]

No, it's more like /. stopped listening for a moment.

You gotta empty the trash once in awhile, ya'know :)

Re:weird...

[Gerry Gleason]

Looked more like unscheduled down time. I haven't seen any scheduled outages, do that have them? How/where are they announced?

Re:OFFTOPIC: What the hell is wrong with Slashdot?

[Wraithlyn]

ROFLMAO :)

Thanks you and good night.