Here's to You, Jetman!
Posted August 24, 2008, 8:46 pm in Other**September 29, 2008 Update: Today, Swiss airline pilot Yves Rossy completed his goal of flying from France to England, powered by a jetpack on his back! Rossy is a commercial pilot who is trained to fly Airbus airlines, but decided to become a human jet. He attacked four jets to a wing, then strapped the contraption on his back, and soared across the Channel to land in Dover, England. Rossy ignited the jets inside a plane, then jumped out at about 8,000 feet. Once he was in the air, he traveled at about 120 miles per hour, and the journey took about 10 minutes.
Rossy didn't have any controls to use for steering, so the only way he could change directions was to move his head and back -- then, once he reached his destination, he released a parachute and glided to a field below.
**Previous Story:
All systems are go for Swiss adventurer known as The Jetman and The Rocketman. 49-year-old Yves Rossy has successfully completed a 10-minute test flight with an 8ft jet-powered wing strapped to his back, flying more than 22 miles. That's the distance he hopes to fly on September 24 in an attempt to become the first person in history to carry out a solo, jet-propelled flight across the English Channel.
Rossy didn't have any controls to use for steering, so the only way he could change directions was to move his head and back -- then, once he reached his destination, he released a parachute and glided to a field below.
**Previous Story:
All systems are go for Swiss adventurer known as The Jetman and The Rocketman. 49-year-old Yves Rossy has successfully completed a 10-minute test flight with an 8ft jet-powered wing strapped to his back, flying more than 22 miles. That's the distance he hopes to fly on September 24 in an attempt to become the first person in history to carry out a solo, jet-propelled flight across the English Channel.
In a recent test flight, Rossy jumped out of a small plane at 7,500ft above the town of Bex, in Switzerland. He reached 180mph as he flew through clear skies. The wings have four small engines attached to a carbon wing and can be manipulated using a lever that controls the fuel. The wing has no moving parts to control direction, but Rossy is able to steer by shifting his weight and moving his head.
© 2007-2008. Growing Bolder Media Group. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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Jill M
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Posted 5:03 pm September 26th, 2008Oh my Gosh, That is so cool.. and kind of crazy, but very cool.
I've wanted to do something like that since I saw the Jet Packs on Lost in Space!