BUCHAREST: A Romanian inventor who claimed he beat the Americans to make the world’s first jetpack and went on to design and build dozens of vehicles, calling the modern-day car “a disgrace”, has died aged 81.

The hospital in the southern city of Ploiesti said Justin Capra died on Monday evening. The cause of death was not given but Capra had diabetes.

Propelled by poverty and curiosity, Capra began inventing gadgets in childhood, and graduated as an engineer. He crafted unconventional flying machines and dozens of prototypes of fuel-efficient vehicles in his lifetime, including in 2011 a single-seater car that did 470 miles to the gallon, running on a mixture of gasoline and water.

He blamed “social, political, and economic reasons” for his belief that it would never be built on a mass scale. Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta called him “a great Romanian and inventor known throughout the world for his inventions. “In 1956, under communism, Capra invented the “flying rucksack,” a personal flying machine.

Published in Dawn January 21st , 2015

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