I Want One
Kim du Toit
May 15, 2008
9:17 AM CDT
So… who needs flying cars? Not this guy:
Some people go fishing on their day off. Yves Rossy likes to jump out of a small plane with a pair of jet-powered wings on his back and loop the loop above the Swiss Alps.
The self-built contraption took the former fighter pilot five years to build and perfect - and yesterday he gave it its maiden flight.
Stepping out of an aircraft at 7,500ft, Rossy unfolded the 10ft rigid wings strapped to his back as he plummeted earthwards. Passing from freefall into a gentle glide, he triggered the four jet turbines and accelerated to 190mph above the mountaintops.
Steering with his body, Rossy dived, turned and soared again, flying what appeared to be effortless loops from one side of the Rhone valley to the other.
At times he climbed 2,600ft before diving again, leaving a trail of special-effects smoke in his wake. After one last wave to the watching crowd, Rossy dipped his wings as he prepared for the piece de resistance, a manoeuvre he hadn’t tried before...He flipped onto his back and levelled out again, executing a perfect 360-degree roll that even a bird would find impossible.
I WANT ONE.
Oh, all right… I know I’d probably need twelve jet engines to propel my fat ass around the sky. But still.
Feast your eyes on those pictures.
