TARGET 151125

YVES ROSSY
THE JET MAN

^{Taking flight}

For this target, picture yourself jumping out of a helicopter at around 6,500 feet (1981 meters) with no worries because you have wings on your back and you can fly.

Yves Rossy was a pilot and had flown just about everything, from fighters to the Air Bus. But it just never enough. So, he invented wings of his own.

In an interview with WIRED magazine reporter, Jason Paur, Rossy said, "It was just to play superman," as he laughed, hummed the theme song from the Superman movie and held his arms stretched out in front of him.


^{No controls to hold onto}

And like Superman it is, because he doesn't have any controls. All he has is a button in one hand that ignites the jets to start with, and can be rotated to adjust his speed. He controls his flight the same wasy a bird can adjust its glide - by arching or ducking his head and twisting his body. To go up, he arches his head and back. To go down, he ducks his head and lowers his feet. To go side to side, he twists his body in the direction he wants to go and just goes there.


^{Jumping from the helicopter}

On July 31, 2013, at the air show in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, Rossy jumped from a helicopter...


^{Fallng to gain speed}

...fell far enough to be dropping at the rate of 160 miles/hour (257.5 kph).....


^{Finally flying under his own power.}

...and then fired his jets up. He could not fire them up while on the helicopter, of course.


^{Coming alongside the Flying Fortress}

Once up to speed, he arched his back and neck and headed back up to the altitude of 6,500 feet (1981 meters) to where a Boeing B-17, the famous World War II "Flying Fortress" was circling at 110 mph (177 kph) for the air show. He actually had to slow down in order to not fly past it.


^{Coming alongside the Flying Fortress}

Jason Paur, the reporter for WIRED magazine, was in the B-17 to cover the event, and took the picture above of Rossy approaching the plane.


^{A really strange site to see.}

George Daubner, the B-17's pilot later said, "The perspective of seeing a guy off your wing, with a wing on his back - there’s just nothing to prepare you for it, I don’t think any of us expected the maneuverability he had.

Rossy's maneuverability is extraordinary for having no controls. During his fly-along, he dipped under and over the plane, changed sides with it, and hovered over the top. "He can fly like an eagle," remarked the reporter. That is, if you can find an eagle that can fly at 110 mph.

Rossy's jets carry enough fuel to allow him around 10 minutes of flight. And then comes the one obvious flaw with this whole thing... landing. If he slows down to a safe speed to land, he will drop like a rock. If he doesn't slow down, well... not a nice thing to think about.


^Landing

So, when his flight had gone for around 9 minutes and 45 seconds, he headed for the ground, cut off the jets, opened his emergency paraglider and glided to the ground. The wing apparatus weighs around 100 pounds (45+ kg), though and, added to his own weight, made it hard to land upright when coming in on the paraglider. So, he opted for a "six point landing." He said, "I brake maximum, (referring to the lines on the paraglider) and then it’s feet, then knees, then hands."

FEEDBACK MAP



If you got impressions for which this feedback is insufficient, more information,
pictures, videos and links can be found at the following web sites:

WIRED on-line (excellent 1:12 minute video at the bottom)
Oddity Central
Rossy's bio on Wikipedia
TED.com - video and his presentation
National Public Radio interview