Yves Rossy

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Yves Rossy
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Full name Yves Rossy
Born (1959-08-27) 27 August 1959
Neuchâtel
Nationality Swiss
Aviation career
Known for First person to fly a jet engine-powered wing
Air force Swiss Air Force
Website
jetman.ch

Yves Rossy (born 27 August 1959) is a Swiss pilot, inventor and aviation enthusiast. His jet pack has led to his being nicknamed Airman, Jetman, Rocketman and, later, Fusionman,[1] according to his project steps.

Life and works

Born in Neuchâtel, Rossy 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 later for Swiss International Air Lines.[2]

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-Cat P200 jet engines[3] modified from large kerosene-fueled model aircraft engines. Later in 2008, he made a flight over the Alps, reaching a top descent speed of 304 km/h (189 mph) and an average speed of 124 mph.[4][5]

Jet-powered wing
Helicopter lift

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 cloud banks, Rossy ditched into the sea, to be picked up ten minutes later by his support helicopter three 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).[6][7][8][9]

On 5 November 2010, he flew a new version of his jet-powered flight system and successfully performed two aerial loops before landing via parachute. He launched from a hot air balloon piloted by Brian Jones at 2,400 meters (7,900 feet). [10]

On 7 May 2011, Rossy flew above the Grand Canyon in Arizona. The United States Federal Aviation Administration classified his flight system as an aircraft, waived the normal 25 to 40 hours of flight testing time, and granted him permission to perform the flight. Reporters and a Swiss news website, who had been waiting since the original flight on the day before had been canceled, were not informed so there are no independent witnesses or reports of the flight. [11][12]

He was featured on an episode of Stan Lee's Superhumans.[13] He has also appeared on the BBC's Top Gear where he raced Richard Hammond and Toni Gardemeister. He was a main attraction at the 2013 Experimental Aircraft Association AirVenture Fly-In, America's largest fly-in.[14] [15]

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Yves Rossy.
External images
Yves Rossy[16]
In flight[17]
Wing suit[18]

References

  1. ↑ "Jetman": The project
  2. ↑ James Randerson, Jet Man flies across Channel on a wing, 26 September 2008, guardian.co.uk.
  3. ↑ Website of Jet Man
  4. ↑ Rocketman flies over Alps with jet-pack strapped to his back, Mail Online, 15 May 2008
  5. ↑ Swiss 'Fusion Man' Flies Over the Alps With Jet-Propelled Wings, Fox News, 15 May 2008
  6. ↑ "Yves Rossy, 'Jetman,' Falls Into Sea Trying To Fly Between Continents". Huffingtonpost.com. 25 November 2009. Retrieved 18 May 2010. 
  7. ↑ "BC News: Jetman Yves Rossy fails in Africa-Europe flight attempt". BBC News. 25 November 2009. Retrieved 18 May 2010. 
  8. ↑ page 5, Daily Telegraph, Thursday 26 November 2009
  9. ↑ Rocket Man brought down to earth in Straits of Gibraltar
  10. ↑ Découvrez les vidéos de l exploit de «Jetman»!, 20 Minutes Online, 11 November 2010
  11. ↑ 'JetMan' pulls off Grand Canyon flight — quietly
  12. ↑ FAA: JetMan can fly over Arizona's Grand Canyon
  13. ↑ Rocket Man — Stan Lee's Superhumans — History.com
  14. ↑ Caulfield, Phillip. "Swiss ‘Jetman’ Yves Rossy flies above Wisconsin alongside B-17 bomber". New York Daily News. Retrieved 31 July 2013. 
  15. ↑ "Good Day Wisconsin". 31 July 2013. WLUK.
  16. ↑ Jet Man Yves Rossy blasts across the sky in Spain www.adventureblog.org, 23 March 2007. Retrieved 15 October 2008.
  17. ↑ It's a Bird! It's a Plane! It's Yves Rossy! www.acceleratingfuture.com, 19 May 2008. Retrieved 15 October 2008.
  18. ↑ Swiss Jetpack (Crazy Pilot) blogs.iht.com, 22 March 2007. Retrieved 15 October 2008.

External links

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