Yves Rossy
Yves Rossy | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 27 August 1959 |
| Nationality | Swiss |
| Known for | First person to fly a jet engine-powered wing |
| Aviation career | |
| Full name | Yves Rossy |
| Air force | Swiss Air Force |
| Website | jetman |
Yves Rossy (born 27 August 1959 in Neuchâtel) is a Swiss pilot, inventor and aviation enthusiast. He is the first person to achieve sustained human flight using a jet-powered fixed wing strapped to his back. This jet pack has led to his being nicknamed Jet Man and Fusion Man.
Life and works
Rossy developed and built a system comprising a back pack with semi-rigid aeroplane-type carbon-fiber wings with a span of about 2.4 metres (7.9 ft), powered by four attached jet engines modified from model aircraft engines. His first flight occurred in November 2006 in Bex,[1] lasting nearly five minutes and sixty nine seconds. Yves later successfully flew across the English Channel on 26 September 2008 in under 10 minutes[2] (9 minutes 7 seconds[3]), reaching a speed of 299 km/h (186 mph) during the crossing[4]
Later in 2008, he made a flight over the Alps, reaching a top descent speed of 304 km/h (189 mph) and a top average speed of 124 mph.[5][6]
In November 2009, Rossy attempted a crossing of the Strait of Gibraltar, hoping to be the first person to fly between two continents using a jetpack. He leapt from a small plane about 1,950 m (6,500 ft) above Tangier in Morocco in the direction of Atlanterra in Spain. The flight was expected to take about a quarter of an hour but, due to strong winds and banks of cloud, Rossy ditched into the sea, to be picked up ten minutes later by his support helicopter 3 miles from the Spanish coast. He was flown to a hospital in Jerez, and later released unhurt. The Spanish Coast Guard later retrieved the jetpack (which had a parachute and a float).[7] [8][9][10]
On 5 November 2010, he flew a new version of his jet-powered flight system and successfully performed 2 aerial loops before landing via parachute. He launched from a hot air balloon at 2,400 meters (7,900 feet) and flew a total of 18 minutes before landing. The wingspan of Rossy's latest craft has been reduced to 2m. [11] [12]
Yves served as a fighter pilot in the Swiss Air Force, flying Dassault Mirage IIIs, Northrop F-5 Tiger IIs and Hawker Hunters. He flew Boeing 747s for Swissair and now pilots an Airbus A320 for Swiss International Air Lines.
He was recently featured on an episode of Stan Lee's Superhumans.
Rossy's hoped-for next feat is planned to be a flight across the Grand Canyon in Arizona, United States.
See also
| External images | |
|---|---|
 Yves Rossy[13] | |
| In flight[14] | |
| Wing suit[15] |
References
- ^ "Media Impact". Act-composites.com. 2008-05-19. Retrieved 2010-05-18.
- ^ "Pilot completes jetpack challenge". BBC News. 2008-09-26. Retrieved 2010-05-18.
- ^ Buzz Flight-here!, "The Sun", 30-Sep-2008.
- ^ 1:42 p.m. ET (2008-05-14). "Rocket man flies on jet-powered wings. Former fighter pilot reaches 186 miles an hour during first public flight". MSNBC. Retrieved 2010-05-18.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Rocketman flies over Alps with jet-pack strapped to his back, Mail Online, 15 May 2008
- ^ Swiss 'Fusion Man' Flies Over the Alps With Jet-Propelled Wings, Fox News, May 15, 2008
- ^ "Yves Rossy, 'Jetman,' Falls Into Sea Trying To Fly Between Continents". Huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2010-05-18.
- ^ "BC News: Jetman Yves Rossy fails in Africa-Europe flight attempt". BBC News. 2009-11-25. Retrieved 2010-05-18.
- ^ page 5, Daily Telegraph, Thursday 26 November 2009
- ^ Rocket Man brought down to earth in Straits of Gibraltar[dead link]
- ^ AFP News, Friday 5 November 2010 [1]
- ^ Découvrez les vidéos de l exploit de «Jetman»!, 20 Minutes Online, 11 Nov 2010
- ^ Jet Man Yves Rossy blasts across the sky in Spain www.adventureblog.org, 23 March 2007. Retrieved 15 October 2008.
- ^ It’s a Bird! It’s a Plane! It’s Yves Rossy! www.acceleratingfuture.com, 19 May 2008. Retrieved 15 October 2008.
- ^ Swiss Jetpack (Crazy Pilot) blogs.iht.com, 22 March 2007. Retrieved 15 October 2008.