Saturday, September 27, 2008

Fusion Man makes history with successful Channel crossing

ROCKETMAN Yves Rossy made history on the 26th of September as he flew over the English channel strapped to a jet-powered wing.

The Swiss adventurer looked like cartoon hero Buzz Lightyear as he zoomed through the air at more than 100mph. The flight took less than 10 minutes and Rossy said after landing: "So many people were with me on that flight, I want to say thank you.

Rossy began by leaping from a plane 2500 feet above Calais and firing up the jets.
His flight traced the route of another pioneering aviator Louis Bleriot, who became the first to fly across the channel in October 1908. Almost exactly 100 years later, Rossy, 49, completed his crossing after a perfect flight and landed near the white cliffs of Dover. His total flight time, from jumping to getting his feet back on the ground after cutting the engines and opening up a parachute, was 13 minutes.

Here is the video: