Wednesday, October 15, 2008
On 26 September 2008, Yves Rossy, nicknamed "Fusion Man", successfully flew across the English Channel from Calais, France to Dover, England in a winged pack with rigid aeroplane-type carbon-fiber wings.
His flight took 9 minutes and 7 seconds. His speed reached 186 mph during the crossing.
The wings span 2.4 m and have four small jet engines underneath. These engines are large versions of a type designed for model aeroplanes.
Rossy claims to be the first person to gain altitude and maintain a stable horizontal flight thanks to aerodynamic carbon foldable wings.
After being lifted by a Pilatus Porter plane, he jumps out with his wings folded, unfolds them while in free-fall, flies horizontally for several minutes, then lands using a parachute.He achieves true controlled flight using his body and a hand throttle to maneuver.
Yves has served as a fighter pilot in the Swiss Air Force, flying Dassault Mirage IIIs, Northrop F-5 Tiger IIs and Hawker Hunters. He also flew Boeing 747s for Swissair and now pilots an Airbus A320 for Swiss International Air Lines.
Rossy's jetpack was exhibited on 18 April 2008 at the opening day of the 35th Exhibition of Inventions at Geneva. Rossy and his sponsors spent over $190,000 to build the device.
It has been claimed that the military has been impressed and asked for prototypes for the powered wings, and that Rossy kindly refused the request and stated it is only for aviation enthusiasm purposes.
His flight took 9 minutes and 7 seconds. His speed reached 186 mph during the crossing.
The wings span 2.4 m and have four small jet engines underneath. These engines are large versions of a type designed for model aeroplanes.
Rossy claims to be the first person to gain altitude and maintain a stable horizontal flight thanks to aerodynamic carbon foldable wings.
After being lifted by a Pilatus Porter plane, he jumps out with his wings folded, unfolds them while in free-fall, flies horizontally for several minutes, then lands using a parachute.He achieves true controlled flight using his body and a hand throttle to maneuver.
Yves has served as a fighter pilot in the Swiss Air Force, flying Dassault Mirage IIIs, Northrop F-5 Tiger IIs and Hawker Hunters. He also flew Boeing 747s for Swissair and now pilots an Airbus A320 for Swiss International Air Lines.
Rossy's jetpack was exhibited on 18 April 2008 at the opening day of the 35th Exhibition of Inventions at Geneva. Rossy and his sponsors spent over $190,000 to build the device.
It has been claimed that the military has been impressed and asked for prototypes for the powered wings, and that Rossy kindly refused the request and stated it is only for aviation enthusiasm purposes.
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