What are the differences between a jetpack and a jetboard? Generally put, jetpacks have been in the public consciousness for over 50 years, standing jetboards only for a short time. Older viewers will tend to look at a jetpack and think it looks more familiar, easier to fly. Younger viewers have the opposite impression, they look at the jetboard and see the familiarity and apparent ease. Both are easy to fly requiring a minimum of effort and training.
Comfort in the water is the basis, although you will be floating in the water and do not need to swim, you will get your face in the water as you are learning and need to be able to relax and take this in stride. You will flying and floating in between, just relax and enjoy your experience!
Getting up in the air on a jetboard consists of relaxing and standing up. Anyone that has the physical and balance ability to stand, has the skill needed to stand on a hydro jetboard. The connection between your inner ear sense of balance and your feet is wired into us from learning to walk, it is automatic and intuitive.
In contrast a jetpack is similar to riding a bike, with your hands contributing to the balancing and steering. This intuitive step is one more than with the jetboard, however it is easy and natural. The rest is all about relaxing and trusting in the flight experience. Anyone that has a sense of balance to ride a bike can fly a jetpack!
In Jetpack flight, the stability comes from forward motion, like riding a bike. As it is nearly impossible to balance on a bike without moving forward, the same principle holds true with the jetpack. If you try just to hover vertically, you will struggle to keep your balance. In the forward motion, there is always a slight tension pulling backwards on the hose, the forward motion gets its stability from this tension. Everything is natural like a bicycle once you start moving and turning.
In contrast, a jetboard can have full stability just hovering vertically, the hose pulling downward, resulting in the same feeling as standing up. We say that anyone that can stand up, can fly on a Jetblade.