Do You Remember Yves Rossy?
It is some time now since I wrote about Yves Rossy, but he is back in the news.
On 26 September 2008, Yves successfully flew across the English Channel from Calais, France, to Dover, England in under 10 minutes - 9 minutes 7 seconds to be exact. His speed reached 186mph during the crossing, and was 125mph when he deployed his parachute.
He leapt from a plane at an altitude of 2,700m and fired up his jet-propelled wing for the 35m flight to England. Minutes later he swept over onlookers on the British side and landed in a field near the white cliffs of Dover. The flight was meant to trace the route of French aviator Louis Bleriot, the first person to cross in an airplane 99 years ago.
Ever since he was a child, Yves Rossy had wanted to “fly like a bird”. And so he developed and built a winged pack with rigid aeroplane-type carbon fibre wings with a span of about 8 feet (2.4 m), and four small kerosene-burning Jet-Cat, jet engines under the wings. He has to wear a heat-resistant suit similar to that of a firefighter or racing driver to protect him from the hot jet exhaust.
Enjoy the video posted by YvesRossy himself.
Congratulations for an historice feat and flight…
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