London (England) – Sure the English Channel has been crossed before, but Yves Rossy is the first person to do it with a rocket pack.  The self-proclaimed 49-year-old “Fusion Man” jumped out of an airplane over Calais France and covered 22 miles in 13 minutes while suspended on a composite wing.  Rossy rocketed at 120 MPH thanks to the help of four kerosene-powered jet turbines affixed to the wing.  He landed safely near the famous White Cliffs of Dover in England.

Rossy, a full-time Ailrbus A320 pilot, knows a thing or two about flying, but his self-made contraption probably makes him the envy of all his friends.  The rocket kit is basically an jet-assisted glider with an 8-foot wingspan.  For this journey, Rossy hitched a airplane ride to 8000 feet and then jumped out.  To make it out of the exit chute, he had to carefully hobble out – as you can see in the video.  The engines are ignited while still in the plane and Rossy wore a flame-resistant suit to protect his back and legs against the engine blast.

Rossy’s flight across the English Channel was a modern day attempt to recreate Louis Bleriot’s historic flight in 1909.  Bleriot was the first person in history to fly across the channel.  What makes Rossy’s flight a big deal is that he had no onboard instruments and two previous attempts earlier this week had to be postponed because of poor visibility.  Additionally, there are no control surfaces on the wing and he steers by tilting his head and shifting his body.

Not content with crossing the English Channel, Rossy now plans on flying the Grand Canyon.

View video MSNBC via Breitbart

Don't Need Visibility, Need GPS...

Sep 27, 2008 00:30     

You don't really need high visibility. All you need is a GPS and compass on your wrist. Better yet, perhaps someday someone will invent a helmet which shows all required navigational information on your helmet screen. Then you could fly anywhere you wished, even into Russia!!! B^D
Cypherdude report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

Look!, ...up in the air .......

Sep 27, 2008 08:26     

This could be the single coolest form of transportation, but...how will you talk on your cell phone...
collinvue report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +3

It's a Bird! It's a Plane! No, it's....

Sep 27, 2008 15:57     

Kinda both very cool...you could make some money outta an idea like that. why jump out of a plane to sky dive when you could fly for a few minutes instead?
BDF report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

Small wing and motors

Sep 28, 2008 14:14     

When I saw the video, I couldn't help but wonder if the wing and those motors were big enough to take him any where but down. When I saw him climb in the video my question was answered. We've come a long way since the now comical black & white video's of people strapping wings to their bodies and leaping off things. Congrats Fusion Man!
9Nails report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +2

its... its superjet....wait what ...

Sep 28, 2008 19:38     

its... its superjet....wait what
jk report abuse vote down vote up Votes: -1

Take Off

Sep 29, 2008 09:19     

I would have like to seen him hanging on the roof of a car for take off.
Kyle report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +0

COBBBBBBBRAAA!!!!

Sep 29, 2008 10:35     

I have the patent on this invention in the Cobra Temple. Next think you know, someone is goign to try to steal my trouble bubble. I will have my revenge! Cobrrraaaaaaa!
Cobra Commander report abuse vote down vote up Votes: +1