Bored with the same old commute? This businessman flies 40 miles up the Thames to work using in his very own jet pack

• Jeremy Paxton, 51, uses £115k device to make 40-mile journey along Thames
• Can lift him 30ft in the air and propel him forward at speeds of up to 25mph
• Inspired by contraption used by James Bond in 1965 film Thunderball
• Mr Paxton: 'It’s better than sitting in traffic jam or stuck on crowded train'

By Ray Massey for the Daily Mail

Published: 22:25 EDT, 25 September 2012 | Updated: 07:17 EDT, 26 September 2012

If the drudgery of the daily commute has lost its charm, businessman Jeremy Paxton may have the high-octane antidote.

He's started doing his treks to the office on an amazing water-powered jet pack that appears to owe more to the technology of James Bond and Buzz Lightyear than the Clapham omnibus.

Instead of getting the car out of the garage or heading to the bus stop, he straps on the device, which uses water pressure to lift him up to 30ft in the air and propel him along horizontally at speeds of up to 25mph.

Scroll down for demo!...

To infinity and be-Bond! Jeremy Paxton shows off his 007-style jet pack which he uses to commute to work

Water way to travel: The jet pack can lift Mr Paxton up to 30ft in the air and propel him horizontally at speeds of up to 25mph

He says the 40-mile journey from his riverside boathouse home in Marpledurham near Reading to his office at the Lower Mill Estate in the Cotswolds is possible because the River Thames and waterways run direct between the two.

Though he does have to walk the last three minutes to his office.

Mr Paxton, 51, has also been asked to be the UK's 'test pilot' and to compile a 'Pilot User Guide' for other would-be customers.

But the fun comes at a price.

The jet pack, which is imported from Germany where it is made under license from American company JetLev, will set you back a cool £115,000 – enough to buy an Aston Martin V8 Vantage for 007 and still have change for a few gadgets.

Who needs the car: The 51-year-old uses the device to travel from his riverside boathouse home in Marpledurham near Reading to his office at the Lower Mill Estate in the Cotswolds

A practical plaything: Depending on the pilot's weight, a JetLev Flyer can top speeds of 30mph and cruise for between two to three hours before refueling, with a range of around 80 miles

The jet pack is not a rocket. Instead it operates on the same principle as a giant pump by generating huge amounts of water pressure to provide a thrust similar to that of a fireman’s hose.

Mr Paxton, whose business interests include the Lower Mill Estate in Gloucestershire, an upmarket 600-acre waterside community of eco-friendly luxury second-homes in the Cotswolds, said: 'I’m the first person in Britain to buy one. I just like alternative means of transport.

'It’s a different way to commute. It’s better than sitting in a traffic jam or being stuck on a crowded train. It’s environmentally-friendly.

'It’s fantastic fun and it’s not complicated to operate. I often commute to London by train and sometimes take my boat to the station. I have a pilot’s licence and fly planes and helicopters. Why not this?’

00-heaven: The jet pack, designed by Chinese-born Canadian Raymond Li, was inspired by the one used by James Bond in the opening scenes of the 1965 film Thunderball (right)

A Toy Story: The jet pack is not too dissimilar to the backpack used by Buzz Lightyear (right)

HOW THE JET PACK WORKS

The jet pack comprises a number of key parts.

First, there is the pack itself which resembles the one used by James Bond in Thunderball or by Buzz Lightyear in the movie Toy Story.

This is connected to a 33ft hose which in turn is connected to a boat-like flotation device, inside which is a 250cc four-stroke petrol motor.

The 'boat' is the pump generator and sits in the water sucking up vast quantities of water which are then forced through the hose and into the jet nozzles on a special lightweight carbon-fibre frame weighing 30lbs strapped to the pilot’s back.

The sheer force of this jet lifts the pilot off the ground or out of the water.

He or she then controls the speed by a motor-cycle-style twist-grip on one of the handles.

Direction is just like flying and depends on the pilot shifting his or her weight.

The maximum altitude is limited by the length of the tube, which also limits the distance from water a pilot can travel.

A digital fly-by-wire system is used to control the throttle which the makers say make flight controls simple, light and intuitive.

Mr Paxton added: 'It’s entirely buoyant so it won’t sink. You can go 30ft high or hover over the water – even walk on the water.

'If you want to go right you put down your right hand you can do tight turns. After a few goes, you get the hang of it It’s like riding a bicycle. You have a "kill switch" around your wrist to cut the power.'

Inspired by the jet pack used in the opening scenes of Thunderball, the Jetlev is the brainchild of Raymond Li, a Chinese-born Canadian who first sketched out his concept on a yellow Post-it Note in 2000 and spent the next 10 years developing it.

The makers say that, depending on pilot weight, a standard JetLev Flyer could top speeds of 30mph and cruise for between two to three hours before refueling with a range of around 80 miles.

It can accommodate pilots of 1.5metres to 2metres in height and between 40kg and 150kg in weight.

Mr Paxton is himself a keen flyer who has his own aeroplane and helicopter.

Earlier this month, he abseiled down London’s new Shard skyscraper with the Duke of York in aid of charity.

The makers say basic skills can be mastered in just 15 minutes though intermediate skills will take between one and 10 hours.

Pioneer: Mr Paxton has been asked to be the UK's 'test pilot' and to compile a Pilot User Guide for other would-be customers

Jetlev’s website notes: ‘As soon as sufficient lift is applied, you and the jetpack become weightless and levitate in the air and even small amounts of force will move or turn you.

'You will feel some pressure from the saddle and the trapeze, but usually no more than from riding a bicycle.’

But pilots must be 18 years old.

And Jetlev cautions: ‘You must be a good swimmer and should not feel uncomfortable having your face in the water from time to time.

'You should not have a fear of heights.

'You should be in good health and physical condition.

'You should have no history of any heart conditions and flying is not advised for women who are pregnant.’

Last month, hotel manager Grant Engler, 25, and his fiancé and Amanda Volf tied the knot in the world’s first jet pack wedding at a ceremony in the U.S.

They each flew to the beachside ceremony at Newport Beach in California wearing Jetlev water-powered jet pack.

After exchanging vows the newlyweds performed an airborne first dance - above the water - to Frank Sinatra’s ‘Come Fly With Me’.

The daring couple, from Grand Rapids, Michigan, became engaged on an adventure holiday to Mexico in April.

VIDEO: Bored of the normal commute? See how to JetLev to work...