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A Working, Winged Jetpack from Switzerland

Posted by timothy on from the rephrasing-the-flying-cars-question dept.

serutan writes "A Swiss airline pilot and self-described adrenaline junkie named Yves Rossy has developed a working jet-pack and flown it more than 30 times. Actually, it's a pair of rigid carbon fiber wings strapped to his back, with two small kerosene-powered jet engines on each wing — essentially a small jet airplane using the pilot's body as the fuselage. His flights have lasted up to 6-1/2 minutes at speeds over 100mph. Rossy's website and YouTube have some pretty cool videos of him flying around over the mountains like Buzz Lightyear. He is working toward ground takeoffs and landings, but currently he jumps out of an airplane, unfolds the wings and flies until he runs out of fuel, then parachutes to the ground."

125 comments

  1. hmmp by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    That's not flying, it's falling with style.

    1. Re:hmmp by LiquidCoooled · · Score: 1

      To Infinity, and Beyond!

      This jetpack looks cool, I would be worried about the landing however, it looks heavy.

      --
      liqbase :: faster than paper
    2. Re:hmmp by Buzz_Litebeer · · Score: 1

      HELL YEA

      --
      If you don't vote, you don't matter, so don't waste your time telling me your opinion
    3. Re:hmmp by StartCom · · Score: 1

      Don't think so. It's heavy when full of fuel, but that's gone at landing...Leaving only the fiber wings and jets.

    4. Re:hmmp by LiquidCoooled · · Score: 1

      Did you see the way it pushed him over on landing in the video?

      It literally pushes his legs from under him and pushes him over his ankles.

      --
      liqbase :: faster than paper
    5. Re:hmmp by thewiz · · Score: 1

      Just as long as he doesn't yell "Buzz... Buzz... Buzz Lightyear to the rescue!" when he jumps out of the carrier plane.

      --
      If "disco" means "I learn" in Latin, does "discothèque" mean "I learn technology"?
  2. It isn't the flying that's the hard part by Eudial · · Score: 5, Funny

    It isn't the flying that's the hard part, it's landing with the bones in your body intact.

    --
    GAAH! MY PRINTER IS ON FIRE!!! PUT IT OUT! PUT IT OUT!
    1. Re:It isn't the flying that's the hard part by ScrewMaster · · Score: 1

      Any landing you can walk away from is a good one. If you can re-use the airplane, it's a great one. Apparently he's made a number of great landings.

      Seriously, I think the guy's nuts, but damn that was cool to watch. I know the U.S. military experimented with flying platforms at one time: does anyone know if they ever worked on anything like this? He says he's working on the ability to have ground takeoffs in the next version. That's actually starting to sound like it might become a useful application of personal flight, hair-raising as it looks.

      --
      The higher the technology, the sharper that two-edged sword.
    2. Re:It isn't the flying that's the hard part by bendodge · · Score: 0

      There are only 12 people who have actually flow a jetpack that can take off from the ground. The most well-know guy, (can't remember his name, Bell or something) flew for a couple presidents, Nascar and some Bond movies.

      There are only a couple working jetpacks, and one of the famous ones disappeared. Chemical companies got sued a while back, and quit selling high-grade concentrated hydrogen peroxide to hobbyists, so jetpacks died off until some Mexican guy invented a distiller that made 90 something percent hydrogen peroxide, and he has a working jetpack of his own design. He has 3 more in the making, and he pays for them my selling hospitals his distillers. (I wish I could remember more about him.)

      --
      The government can't save you.
    3. Re:It isn't the flying that's the hard part by nick_davison · · Score: 1

      It isn't the flying that's the hard part, it's landing with the bones in your body intact.

      Which is why he uses a parachute.

      Don't get me wrong, it's cool and all... But it requires falling out of a plane for while in order to launch the thing and then still needs a parachute to land. It's a small step beyond the guys who've been jumping for years with flying squirrel type wings stitched in to their jump gear (in that this guy adds a rigid wing and power) but it's a long way from a truly useful jet pack that'll let you take off and land.

      There's a reason why most records include being able to return to where you started from for it to count. We would likely celebrate Sir Edmund Hillary, the first guy to the top of Everest, far less if he got dropped off by plane and simply climbed down or Rould Amundsen if he got dropped off at the South pole and simply collected food caches along the way back.

    4. Re:It isn't the flying that's the hard part by The+Evil+Couch · · Score: 1

      There's a reason why most records include being able to return to where you started from for it to count. We would likely celebrate Sir Edmund Hillary, the first guy to the top of Everest, far less if he got dropped off by plane and simply climbed down or Rould Amundsen if he got dropped off at the South pole and simply collected food caches along the way back.

      He was able gain altitude and keep pace with his launching aircraft. He could have returned to the airplane if he was willing risk striking the plane, dying horribly, shortening his flight and just generally not having nearly as much fun. No, I'd have to give the man some credit. While, I'd say that this gentleman, his BirdMan suit and his rocket boots were the first that I know of to try this sort of thing, Mr. Rossy has done something really impressive and cool.

      --
      The World's Worst Webcomic!
  3. Watch the videos by Hellad · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Pretty damn awsome! The landing can be seen as well; he makes it look easy. The wings fold up and he simply parachutes down like its nothing. I was more shocked when I saw him simply jumping out of a plan with a giant pair of wings on his back; scary stuff.

    1. Re:Watch the videos by LiquidCoooled · · Score: 1

      The wings fold up and he simply parachutes down like its nothing....Then as he touches the ground the momentum causes his legs to be pushed over and risks breaking his ankles easily.

      --
      liqbase :: faster than paper
    2. Re:Watch the videos by emilng · · Score: 1

      The best part of the videos were the comments

  4. Christmas by pile0nades · · Score: 1

    I wish I got one of these for Christmas. Merry Christmas Slashdot!

    --
    Slashdot Classic
  5. Cliffs in California by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Interesting

    Didn't some guy from California fry his ankles off with one of these things a few years ago? I'm pretty sure he was jumping off cliffs, too, instead of jumping out of airplanes. Don't exactly remember how he landed, though.

      http://lyricslist.com/

    1. Re:Cliffs in California by creysoft · · Score: 3, Funny

      Don't exactly remember how he landed, though.

      Painfully.

      --
      Formerly GNU/Anonymous Coward. This message has been determined to cause cancer in laboratory animals.
    2. Re:Cliffs in California by Big+Nemo+'60 · · Score: 1

      I don't know about California, but just one year ago some guy in Finland strapped two jets to the ankles of his wingsuit, jumped from a hot air balloon 7000ft from the ground, and ZOOMed through the sky!

      M. Rossy's contraption looks much more impressive though.

      --
      In the long run we are all dead. - John Maynard Keynes (1883 - 1946)
  6. Swiss Ingenuity by hedgemage · · Score: 4, Funny

    The biggest engineering obstacle he had to overcome was how to fit in the corkscrew.

  7. MMM, I LUV CHRISTMAS SPAM! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Modbomb requested for parent in isle five for inane content and spam. Oh, and also this one, for being offtopic!

  8. Nausicaa by Darkman,+Walkin+Dude · · Score: 1, Insightful

    Yeah thats much more like assisted gliding than anything else. When he can take off from a standing start, like in Nausicaa (valley of the wind), I'll be impressed. Also his landing technique seems a bit hair raising. Do you fold up the wings before or after you deploy the parachute?

    --
    What he can't kill, he has sex on. Trent.
    1. Re:Nausicaa by rucs_hack · · Score: 5, Insightful

      The dude jumps out of a plane with a homemade jetpack and flies around for six minutes, and you're not impressed?

      Holy crap...

    2. Re:Nausicaa by rfunches · · Score: 1, Insightful
      The dude jumps out of a plane with a homemade jetpack and flies around for six minutes, and you're not impressed?

      When the hardest part seems to be a controlled ground takeoff (and maintaining control until you can get up to speed), no, I'm not impressed. It's a neat expensive toy that requires another neat expensive toy -- the plane -- to function. I'll be impressed when it can function by itself.

    3. Re:Nausicaa by Darkman,+Walkin+Dude · · Score: 1, Interesting

      The dude jumps out of a plane with a homemade jetpack and flies around for six minutes, and you're not impressed?

      Power assisted gliding is nothing new, it has been around for a while now. What he's doing is a cool stunt, yes, a fun toy if thats what floats your boat, but its hardly groundbreaking (no pun intended). Its not like he was in any real danger, what with the parachute strapped to his back and everything. Or if he was it was danger of his own making. So no, not impressed.

      --
      What he can't kill, he has sex on. Trent.
    4. Re:Nausicaa by constantnormal · · Score: 3, Interesting

      I'm impressed by the fact that he was his own test pilot ... ... learning the flight characteristics on the way to the ground ...

      Obviously, a quick learner.

      I'd be interested in knowing what his "Plan B" was in the event the wings folded up in flight, or one engine exploded.

    5. Re:Nausicaa by ceoyoyo · · Score: 1

      Throw his chute the same way he lands when he runs out of gas?

    6. Re:Nausicaa by Adriax · · Score: 2, Funny

      "Oh father who art in heaven..."?

      --
      I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy every minute of it!
    7. Re:Nausicaa by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Farter in heaven, sure a solution.

    8. Re:Nausicaa by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      *Our father

    9. Re:Nausicaa by NicklessXed · · Score: 1

      The additional weight of the fuel could be a problem if he did it like that, tho. Probably wouldn't make for the most pleasant landing.

    10. Re:Nausicaa by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      "Oh father who art in heaven..."?


      I had to read that again as I thought it said "Oh father who farts in heaven".. then I was thinking: sorry son, baked beans aren't going to serve as an auxillary JATO unit this time!
    11. Re:Nausicaa by Swordsmanus · · Score: 1

      Well, he is a former military pilot...so the learning curve for him probably wasn't as high for him as it would be for most.

    12. Re:Nausicaa by ppc_digger · · Score: 0

      How about throwing the fuel tank?

      --
      Of all major operating systems, UNIX is the only one originally meant for gaming.
    13. Re:Nausicaa by SnprBoB86 · · Score: 1

      Um... He made a reference to Toy Story...

      --
      http://brandonbloom.name
    14. Re:Nausicaa by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      There have been skydiver wings for quite a while now (http://www.guardian.co.uk/silly/story/0,,1013884, 00.html, for example). His design offers nothing over existing non-powered designs. When he makes it so you can take off without the assistance of a plane, then he'll have something. Until then, it's just a gimick.

    15. Re:Nausicaa by paganizer · · Score: 1

      I said this on fark a few days ago, but...

      All you need is a Catapult, and a big Circus-type net on top of the building you work at, repeat at your house.

      --
      Why, yes, I AM a Pagan Libertarian.
    16. Re:Nausicaa by root_kuchbi_com · · Score: 1

      You mean a catapult like this? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqNl1PgAb_c

    17. Re:Nausicaa by paganizer · · Score: 1

      Yes, Exactly! great video, BTW.

      --
      Why, yes, I AM a Pagan Libertarian.
    18. Re:Nausicaa by niktemadur · · Score: 1

      Not too far from William Blake, though. To paraphrase, using his terms and images:
      Oh Nobodaddy, who farts and belches in heaven...

      --
      Lil' Thindime, lilting a lacrimose lament, krashes the kwaint konfines of Kokonino Kounty
    19. Re:Nausicaa by Tablizer · · Score: 1

      I'm impressed by the fact that he was his own test pilot ... ... learning the flight characteristics on the way to the ground ... Obviously, a quick learner.

      Death is a big motivator.

      --
      Table-ized A.I.
    20. Re:Nausicaa by lachlan76 · · Score: 1

      Drop the petrol?

    21. Re:Nausicaa by Soul-Burn666 · · Score: 1

      You mean something like this or this?

      --
      ^_^
  9. He could have built the engines himself by mangu · · Score: 4, Interesting
    Something that amazes me is that there are hobbyists building those model jet engines from scratch, using detailed plans that this guy published in this book.


    After him, several other people published books on building small jet engines, like this one, for instance.

    1. Re:He could have built the engines himself by owlnation · · Score: 1
      Something that amazes me is that there are hobbyists building those model jet engines from scratch, using detailed plans that this guy published in this book.
      I think "amazes" isn't the word I'd use. I was thinking the Swiss is guy is really cool - crazy - but really cool. Then I see your post about people building planes based on designs from Wikipedia and I realize the Swiss guy is the paragon of sane and normal.

      They'd build something as dangerous as a plane based on plans from one of the world's most notoriously dubious and manipulated sources of "facts"? They're mental patients, or cadavers, which ever comes first...

      Trusting Wikipedia for a high school essay is foolish, but a plane... Mark my words, it's only a question of time before there's some form Wikipedia related deaths, planes or otherwise.
    2. Re:He could have built the engines himself by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Hello, genius. They're not using designs from wikipedia. The wikipedia link was to a page about the author of a *book* about jet engines for *model* airplanes. You know, REMOTE CONTROL SCALE MODELS.

    3. Re:He could have built the engines himself by cheekyboy · · Score: 1

      So it wouldnt take much to get a $120 1ounce GPS ciruit and strap on a ipod with rokbox installed as a guidance computer, make it deliver a 10ounce C4 explosive on impact.

      Instant RPG, but using mini jets instead of rocket power, sure its slower, but still fast enough and have a decent range.

      All at 1/100th the cost of a military contractor.

      --
      Liberty freedom are no1, not dicks in suits.
    4. Re:He could have built the engines himself by nebbian · · Score: 1

      It's harder than you think. Intertia, timing, wind gusts, and the like all add up to make it very very tricky. It might not explicitly be rocket science, but damn it's close!

      --
      I am artificially intelligent.
  10. Flying is easy ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    ... Just throw yourself at the ground and miss.

  11. A Working, Winged Jetpack from Switzerland by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Coming to a Swiss Army Knife near you in 3, 2, 1...

  12. Did it really do anything? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It looked to me like a guy skydiving with a wing on his back. The test shots of the jet didn't seem very impressive, so did they really have any impact? I think it's pretty cool that he can glide around for a while on wings before having to land, but I'm not really impressed by the "jets". I was hoping to see a guy blast into the air from a complete standstill on the ground...

    1. Re:Did it really do anything? by sbaker · · Score: 1, Informative

      The thing got up to 300 kph - 186mph - and it climbed several thousand feet. He was zipping alongside the plane in formation, you could see he was turning under full control around those jagged mountain peaks. That's definitely flying!

      The problem with takeoff from the ground is that if his engines crap out on him at a couple of hundred feet, he has no time left to open his parachute and he'll be dead for sure. It makes much more sense to iron out any technical glitches with a drop from a plane so he always has time to open his chute in the event of problems. He's doing this very carefully - one baby step at a time.

      The other problem with takeoff is that unless he has wheels or ski's or something, there is no way to build up enough speed for the wings to generate any lift. So he's going to have to have enough thrust to take off vertically - and according to TFA, that's something that'll have to wait for the next generation of machine.

      --
      www.sjbaker.org
    2. Re:Did it really do anything? by Lavene · · Score: 1

      The other problem with takeoff is that unless he has wheels or ski's or something, there is no way to build up enough speed for the wings to generate any lift. So he's going to have to have enough thrust to take off vertically - and according to TFA, that's something that'll have to wait for the next generation of machine.
      Rollerblades?
    3. Re:Did it really do anything? by ScrewMaster · · Score: 1

      Ice skates.

      --
      The higher the technology, the sharper that two-edged sword.
    4. Re:Did it really do anything? by hey! · · Score: 2, Interesting

      At first the videos don't seem so impressive when he's just gliding, then you see the thing with the vapor trails going straight out behind him...

      I don't think the thing climbs very well because they don't show any dramatic shots of climbing. There's one shot that looks like a steep climb but that is after a power dive. Still it's pretty impressive to pull out of a dive and gain altitude using a short pair of wings strapped to your hips.

      The most dramatic segment on the videos is an over the shoulder shot where you see him approaching a ridge. He's a little above it when he starts his approach, but if he's just gliding he's going to end up a greasy smear on the mountainside. He covers quite a bit of horizontal ground and it looks like he gains at least a little altitude on the approach. In any case, it shows either a great deal of faith in the jet engines or a serious death wish.

      --
      Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
    5. Re:Did it really do anything? by Antique+Geekmeister · · Score: 1

      Not necessarily. With a water flight and reasonably large wings, he can attempt to stall just before hitting the water. Still quite dangerous, but it's at a much lower velocity and lower altitude: airplane pilots are taught similar tricks for aircraft with ruined landing gear.

      The issue came up in a discussion of a similar technology 30 years ago: these ideas are hardly new.

    6. Re:Did it really do anything? by thenickboy · · Score: 1

      I thought the same thing - just watch a few more videos. There's one more where he's flying near the jump plane (or a chase plane) and he climbs from a lower altitude to over the camera plane's head. Pretty impressive stuff.

    7. Re:Did it really do anything? by renoX · · Score: 1

      >it shows either a great deal of faith in the jet engines or a serious death wish.

      I disagree: it all depends at which height the jet engines stop: if high enough, even in case of problem (asymetrical deployement/propulsion for example), he should be able to get rid of his wings and open his parachute (well, I remember a similar design where the pilot could drop the wings, not sure about his design).

      What killed many early wingmen is that their wings were not removable, and of course that they opened quite low..

  13. Blah... by __aaclcg7560 · · Score: 0

    I'll wait until Virgin offers sub-orbital parachute diving. That's falling with class!

    1. Re:Blah... by niktemadur · · Score: 1

      I'll wait until Virgin offers sub-orbital parachute diving. That's falling with class!

      Inspired by my one and only skydiving adventure, which included a forty-five second solo freefall, I once wrote a short story (in a notebook I can't seem to find anywhere) about a guy who re-enters the atmosphere from an orbital flight and becomes a human meteorite. Obviously the person is breathing through canned oxygen, and once a certain speed has been attained through deacceleration, the heat shield is jettisoned so that the final minutes become an ultra-high-altitude skydiving experience.

      I got the idea from reading about how the first cosmonauts had to eject from their capsules several thousand meters before hitting the ground. There's even a story that was broadcast on PBS's Nova in the early nineties about how two months before Yuri Gagarin, Vladimir Ilushyn, the soviet man who broke the sound barrier, passed out in outer space and was in mortal peril. Since Ilushyn was not anonymous and could not be erased from the books (http://www.lostcosmonauts.com/), he was wanted alive by the soviet authorities and was crash-landed one orbit before he could land within the USSR, thereby landing inside China, pretty banged up as he was passed out and still inside the capsule. For a time, Ilushyn was a patient in a chinese hospital, after which he became a "guest" of the People's Republic, before being swapped back to the motherland for a couple of spies.

      Anyways, my points are that 1) Gagarin was not the first, and 2) what you describe in your post is very similar to what the soviets did during the first days of the space program, with nasty, embarassing and covered-up results.

      --
      Lil' Thindime, lilting a lacrimose lament, krashes the kwaint konfines of Kokonino Kounty
    2. Re:Blah... by arthurpaliden · · Score: 1

      "The incredible, disturbing real-life events which are presented on this site are being uncovered for the first time outside the restricted community of 'insiders' who have, for reasons unknown, decided to protect the secrecy of the Soviet Establishment." Tin foil hat time.

      --
      Undetectable Steganography? Yep, there's an app fo
    3. Re:Blah... by niktemadur · · Score: 1

      Tin foil hat time.

      You're right of course, the link to lostcosmonauts.com was a weak one, yet keep in mind that PBS took it seriously enough to run a show on the Ilyushin incident, which brings the ballgame to a higher level. BTW, correcting three mistakes of mine, proving that memory isn't as strong as a bit of research:
      a) It's Ilyushin, not Ilushyn,
      b) It was on PBS, but not on Nova, and
      c) The show was run in 1999, not the early nineties.

      Here's a stronger link: http://www.astronautix.com/astros/ilyushin.htm

      --
      Lil' Thindime, lilting a lacrimose lament, krashes the kwaint konfines of Kokonino Kounty
    4. Re:Blah... by Ortega-Starfire · · Score: 1

      Starship Troopers (the book) actually begins with an infantryman heading to a target zone with that same procedure. They also had chutes, jetpacks, and all sorts of fun toys.

      Star Trek Generations (again, the book) also has Kirk doing a similar stunt.

      I, for one, hope the hobbyists never get bored, and help make some of these things we've read in stories a reality (I bet you were expecting an overlord joke with the starter, weren't you? Sorry to disappoint...)

      --
      ---- Liquid was a patriot ----
  14. Wrong Department? by caffeined · · Score: 0

    Actually, especially today, I would have put this in the "Oooh! I want one for Christmas" department!

    Merry Xmas everybody, and my fingers are crossed that next year my wife will get me one of these!!!!

    --
    Sigh. My id isn't prime. 2 2 2 2 2 3 5 313
  15. Lovely accent by Giloo · · Score: 1

    I love his Swiss accent ;)
    --
    "I can't search. I uninstalled Google." - P. Ducler

    1. Re:Lovely accent by mabu · · Score: 1

      FYI, Swiss has no native language that isn't a homogenization of other languages (Swiss-German being the closest to their own langauge, which does differ in many ways from traditional German). The country has three distinct areas where the native language is either Italian, German or French.

    2. Re:Lovely accent by SerpentMage · · Score: 1

      You are right, but you forgot one language. Romansh (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Switzerland)

      --

      "You can't make a race horse of a pig"
      "No," said Samuel, "but you can make very fast pig"
    3. Re:Lovely accent by grolschie · · Score: 1

      You are confusing accent with language. Germans could easily recognise the accent (and of course the dialect too) as being from Switzerland. Just like how they can easily recognise accents from various regions of their own country. It's not just a dialect thing. Calling it a Swiss accent is spot on.

    4. Re:Lovely accent by StartCom · · Score: 1

      Actually four, including Romantsh...But than, calling the Swiss-German, German...is almost insulting the Swiss. Seriously! Except that, the Germans don't understand it, perhaps at most a few words here and there.

    5. Re:Lovely accent by mabu · · Score: 1

      Actually four, including Romantsh...But than, calling the Swiss-German, German...is almost insulting the Swiss. Seriously! Except that, the Germans don't understand it, perhaps at most a few words here and there.

      It doesn't take much to insult the Swiss, seeing as they're so fiercely independent. But it was my Swiss friend in Switzerland who characterized Rmantsh as "Swiss-German" and an analysis of the language shows it is basically some sort of superset of German, bastardized by the Swiss.

  16. Branson should sponsor him by www.bnp.org.uk · · Score: 2, Interesting

    This guy is looking for sponsors. Richard Branson should get his wallet out. A truly stunning achievement. The last shot in the video is inspiring.

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    Join the British National Party
    1. Re:Branson should sponsor him by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Be careful, you're lauding the achievements of foreigners, you vile little worm.

    2. Re:Branson should sponsor him by niktemadur · · Score: 1

      This guy is looking for sponsors.

      Tip for this guy: try the Swiss Navy. :)

      The last shot in the video is inspiring.

      Agreed. The image will haunt me for a long time, in the best possible way. I'm glad I saw this.

      --
      Lil' Thindime, lilting a lacrimose lament, krashes the kwaint konfines of Kokonino Kounty
  17. Summary of his comments by caffeined · · Score: 4, Informative

    If you don't speak French, I'll give a brief summary of his comments.

    Basically, at the beginning he explains a bit about how it was designed. One point he made was that his reason for the foldable design of the wings was so that it would fit in the plane. The other interesting thing he said was that the design was effectively that of an airplane - with his body serving as the fuselage.

    After the flight he just explains that after he jumped out of the plane he did a little half-turn to catch the wind. He also mentions that the wing unfolded nicely - and that when he kicked in the gas that he moved forward and he could tell that at that point he was flying. He said it was really cool, too. (Which I think we'll all agree is the case!)

    Also - I'm not a native French speaker. I'm American but lived in Paris a couple of years - any native French speaker care to comment on the guy's accent? Is that a Swiss accent? (I'm presuming so, but I was curious to know from a native.)

    --
    Sigh. My id isn't prime. 2 2 2 2 2 3 5 313
    1. Re:Summary of his comments by metroplex · · Score: 1

      Yup, that's a typical Swiss-French accent. It's the accent from Valais more specifically, I'd say.

      --
      "Words of wisdom: drop that zero and get with the hero" -- Vanilla Ice
    2. Re:Summary of his comments by tanakan · · Score: 1

      IMO, it is rather an accent from Vaud

  18. All I want for Christmas... by Kurt+Wall · · Score: 1

    ...is my own jetpack to improve my commute!

  19. Dear Santa by sbaker · · Score: 4, Funny

    Dear Santa,

    If it's not too late, I would like to add a jetpack to my Xmas list. You can cross off the PS3 if that helps.

    Thanks!

    --
    www.sjbaker.org
    1. Re:Dear Santa by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Why can't you have both? Since it's from Sony, making it into an explosive propulsion device should be easy! However, your safety and multiple uses might not be guaranteed...

    2. Re:Dear Santa by niktemadur · · Score: 2, Informative

      Dear Santa,

      If it's not too late, I would like to add a jetpack to my Xmas list.

      In case Santa doesn't have time to check his inbox today, you can always try the Three Wise Men on January 6th. You gotta be in a spanish-speaking country, however, 'cause that's where the Three Zoroastrian Magi (Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar) show up with gifts for children (of all ages).

      --
      Lil' Thindime, lilting a lacrimose lament, krashes the kwaint konfines of Kokonino Kounty
  20. I am surprised this works ... by HairyCanary · · Score: 4, Funny

    I wouldn't think he'd be aerydynamic enough with a sack that large hanging underneath..

  21. Hate to be a spoil-sport but--- by Ancient_Hacker · · Score: 1, Informative
    hate to spoil the fun, but:
    • Just on general principles, it's unlikely he's really flying, as in having enough thrust to overcome drag.
    • Jet engines do not scale down very well-- somewhere around the size of a kosher salami the friction exceeds the power generated, the thrust to weight ratio drops very quickly, making the thing little more than a swooshing kerosene heater.
    • We need some more facts, such as jet engine thrust, specific fuel consumption, and cost.
    1. Re:Hate to be a spoil-sport but--- by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Just on general principles, it's unlikely he's really flying, as in having enough thrust to overcome drag.

      Um... so how did he gain altitude minutes after leaving the plane?

      Jet engines do not scale down very well-- somewhere around the size of a kosher salami the friction exceeds the power generated, the thrust to weight ratio drops very quickly, making the thing little more than a swooshing kerosene heater.

      I see... so this is why model jet airplane don't exist, right? Funny, those I saw on a model flight show this summer seemed to work allright - and actually had quite a lot of thrust for their small size.

    2. Re:Hate to be a spoil-sport but--- by Deadstick · · Score: 2, Interesting
      Yeah, well, here's what you can do with one or two kerosene heaters:

      http://www.metacafe.com/watch/207659/amasing_rc_je ts/

      ...and here's what you can do with eight:

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fbITzCI2AU0

      Those little hairdryers deliver up to 50 pounds of thrust and sell for $3000-$5000.

      rj

    3. Re:Hate to be a spoil-sport but--- by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

      The article should've probably linked to this video too:

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-66AcTo9TU

      Truely inspirational. For some reason I cried for the first time in many years (can't remember when the last time was). This guy is my new hero.

      He should get a donation link at his website.

    4. Re:Hate to be a spoil-sport but--- by Antique+Geekmeister · · Score: 1

      There was a magazine article on a similar technology over 30 years ago. I believe it was in Popular Mechanics: using small jet engines purchased from the US Air Force, with 30 miles per gallon fuel economy and a cruising velocity of roughly 100 mph, and a lift capacity of roughly 300 pounds. It was VTOL, and under the aircraft licensing of the time would have been considered an "ultra-light" and not required a pilot's license.

      The builder wanted to switch to duced fans for commercial use: I never knew what became of the project, but I've wanted my own for more than 30 years.

    5. Re:Hate to be a spoil-sport but--- by DreadPiratePizz · · Score: 1

      I've read about this in various skydiving publications. He was actually able to generate enough lift to ascend. So yes, he really is flying.

    6. Re:Hate to be a spoil-sport but--- by Ancient_Hacker · · Score: 1
      >Those little hairdryers deliver up to 50 pounds of thrust and sell for $3000-$5000.

      Thanks! Some facts at last. I stand corrected-- he may have been flying.

      But please realize that these things are doubly inefficient--

      1. Jet engines work best at speeds comparable to their exhaust-- at typical human flight sppeds under 100MPH only a small fraction of the thrust is delivered as useful power.
      2. Scaled-down jet engines of this size are intrinsically inefficient.

      Combine these two gotchas and you have this situation-- 50lbs of thrust at 100MPH is about 6 horsepower. 6 horsepower for $3K to $5K is a factor ot ten or so higher in price, and a similar factor lower in efficiency than using internal combustion and propeller technology.... You're paying a very high premium for the gee-whizzyness of jet power.

    7. Re:Hate to be a spoil-sport but--- by Deadstick · · Score: 1

      Oh, it's inefficient all right. Efficiency is for FedEx. Flying around with jet engines on your feet is for getting laid.

      rj

  22. Re:Watch the videos - indeed **watch this video!** by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Watch this excellent 5 star rated Yves Rossy video on youtube - as a Moby fan I appreciated the sound track also ;-)

  23. Just in time... by Digitus1337 · · Score: 1

    ...for Christmas.

  24. To be Featured in the Next Bond Movie? by arthurpaliden · · Score: 1

    Can't wait to see it souped up with all kinds of spy stuff and weapons.

    --
    Undetectable Steganography? Yep, there's an app fo
  25. Further developments by jake-in-a-box · · Score: 1

    I can see the next development, to assist in landings and to support the assembly for a true takeoff from land, put a tricycle landing gear on it, than make it a bit more comfortable for the flier by giving him a seat of better support. With a seat we can fasten the controls down and dress up the wiring and cabling some. Add a windshield because you really don't like being hit by other flying creatures at 100+ mph.

    Oh wait, that's called an airplane.

    --
    To hear the gods laugh tell them your plans.
    1. Re:Further developments by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I think he should just use one of those ab roller things for landing gear...

  26. What the guy needs... by CrackedButter · · Score: 1

    are some miniature VTOL engines, would solve his takeoff and landing problems.

    --
    Jonathanjk.com
    1. Re:What the guy needs... by mikehunt · · Score: 1

      In what particular way will this solve the problem?

      His feet are just where the thrust from those VTOL
      engines will be coming down. (unless he takes off from
      his belly - not a good sales argument).

      jets + thrust = hot!

  27. Batman by Have+Blue · · Score: 1

    Why does the article keep mentioning Batman? He can't fly himself and uses jetpacks very rarely.

  28. Re:Please, no YouTube links by ScrewMaster · · Score: 1

    I think the problem might be on your end. I've had no trouble watching anything on YouTube, and I watched the rather lengthy B-52 bomber videos that someone just posted in this thread and they played perfectly.

    --
    The higher the technology, the sharper that two-edged sword.
  29. Wow by filekutter · · Score: 1

    Sooooo kewl. Hat's off to Rossy.

    --
    I call computer-illiteracy job security
  30. national sport by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I want to start my own country, just so I can declare this to be my national sport.

  31. Its not an airplane-it cant take off by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    At the end of the XIX Century a French Academic Organization (I dont remember its exact name) introduced the notion of airplane as a machine which can fly and CAN TAKE OFF ON ITS OWN (no catapult, no rails, no nothing, only the planes engines).

    For example, Wrights brother contraption was not an airplane because although it could fly,it cannot take off on its on (this is the reason why many nations believe that the Wright brothers did not invent the airplane). The same with this contraption, it can fly but it cannot take off on its own, thus is not an airplane.

    1. Re:Its not an airplane-it cant take off by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Uh-huh.

      In other news, the SR-71 Blackbird wasn't an airplane, either, because it had to have triethylborane pumped into the engines and a start cart connected to each engine just to get them going.

      And Apollo 11 wasn't a real rocket because it couldn't fly "ON ITS OWN" -- it had to have disposable stages to help it. This is why America did not really land men on the moon.

    2. Re:Its not an airplane-it cant take off by cheekyboy · · Score: 0

      I saw a documentary that showed that the Wright bros invented a lot of flying technologies like the twisted propeller and wing aerofoils etc...
      So basically without them a lot of people couldnt do it, it doesnt matter that someone else may have made a more powerfull rotary engine, since that
      is really more of a general purpose part.

      --
      Liberty freedom are no1, not dicks in suits.
  32. The art of flying by flyingfsck · · Score: 1, Redundant

    is to deliberately throw yourself at the ground and miss. The important part is to miss and he seems to be doing it the right way - stay far away from the ground while flying and land by chute.

    --
    Excuse me, but please get off my Pennisetum Clandestinum, eh!
  33. WOW where's the.. by future+assassin · · Score: 1

    paypal donate button! I'll donate $50 right now to see him devlop this some more.

    --
    by TheSpoom (715771) Uncaring Linux user here. I have nothing to add to this but please continue. *munches popcorn*
  34. sure flyin is fun and all until one of those by bxbaser · · Score: 3, Funny

    engines grenade 2 feet from his groin

  35. Probably.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The same parachute he is depending on for landing.

  36. No criticism intended.... by NoseBag · · Score: 2, Insightful

    ....but...

    Its not like he was in any real danger...?
    Its not like he was in any real danger...!!

    Spheres.
    Mighty spheres.
    Especially the first time!
    I don't care how many plan B's they had.

    --
    Cloned foods give the statement "We had that last week!" a whole new meaning.
    1. Re:No criticism intended.... by Darkman,+Walkin+Dude · · Score: 1

      Well when it becomes "news for jocks" I'll join you in your admiration. Until then, technically, it wasn't wildly impressive.

      --
      What he can't kill, he has sex on. Trent.
  37. Hopp Swiitz by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Mir Schwitzer sind eifach die geilste!

  38. Re:Wright brothers did invent the airplane by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    BTW why do they speak French in the movie?

    Because it's faster than writing it on cards and holding it up so you can read it?

    It's one of the four official languages of Switzerland.

    Dont they learn English in school in Switzerland?

    Probably, but English isn't one of their official languages. They don't even border an English-speaking country. Why would they speak English?

    Besides, it is a funny kind of French, is the inventor French Canadian or what?

    It's pretty clear he's Swiss. (They speak everything funny. Listen to them try to speak German sometime.)

  39. I must have one of these. by tuxlove · · Score: 1

    This is why Dog created wings and jet engines.

  40. Not for me by phorm · · Score: 1

    Actually, it did the same for me. I wonder if it's a browser/plugin issue. I'm using an oldish version of Firefox, along with an old flash as well on XP (mainly out-of-date because I usually use the linux boot on XP, except I was playing some games today).

    Chances are the parent is experiencing issues due to outdated browser/plugins rather than a problem with youtube itself.

  41. Is that really a "JetPack" ?? by walterbyrd · · Score: 1

    It doesn't even take off from the ground.

  42. Who cares what the French think? by argent · · Score: 1

    First of all, I can't even begin to see a rationale for "no rails" unless you ban runways or other ground improvements as well.

    Second, who cares how the French define the meaning of an *English* word? These are the same people who are up in arms over the pollution of thier language with "Big Mac" and "Le Picnic", so what's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander... McDonalds keeps their fingers out of l'Academie Francais and they keep their fingers out of the OED.

  43. Swiss Army Jetpack? by fahrbot-bot · · Score: 0
    A Swiss airline pilot ... has developed a working jet-pack and flown it more than 30 times. ... he jumps out of an airplane, unfolds the wings and flies until he runs out of fuel, then parachutes to the ground.

    The 35th jump went well until he accidentally unfolded the cork screw and magnifying glass instead of the wings and plummeted to his death.

    --
    It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
  44. Segway.. by 7Prime · · Score: 1

    What we need is a device that's sorta like a flying Segway... it detects changes in stability and corrects for them. Seriously, having propultion from one's leg area seems like a pretty good way to go, as jet engine mounted anywhere else could risk serious injury. Plus, there's no way that a human could survive a horizontal, runway landing. Any individually mounted jet-pack would have to take off and land virtically. So, the closest thing I can think of is something like a flying segway that attaches to your legs and feet, and keeps you standing upright the entire time via smaller side-to-side thrusters, like a Harrier. Now, VTOL aircraft are incredibly innefficient, so I'm not sure how feasible this is.

    --
    Multiplayer Gaming (defined): Sitting around, discussing single-player games with my friends, at the bar.
  45. It's like God taking you for a ride by andrewhon · · Score: 1

    He says "it's like God holding you by a handle and taking you for a ride" -- Translation from a helpful Youtube commenter http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEXxkWXncuo (great video)

    --
    vsxl.com - Compare cameras like the Canon Rebel XTi vs. Nikon D80
  46. jetpack no by luther349 · · Score: 0

    thats not a jetpack. jetpacks are wingless. thats more like a ultra light jet. still cool but i wouldent fly it i wouldent like losing my legs when those things explode lol.

  47. "Is that a jet plane strapped to your back... by mikiN · · Score: 1

    ...or are you just happy to see mee?"

    --
    The Hacker's Guide To The Kernel: Don't panic()!
  48. Old News by Patentmat · · Score: 1
    Well not that old, but still, I did totally mention it last week. Be sure to check out the electricity man too.

    http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=213172&cid=173 37636

  49. Darwing Awards by Tablizer · · Score: 1

    nuf sed

    --
    Table-ized A.I.
  50. Done before by Kurayamino-X · · Score: 1

    Kinda, with Jet Boots and a skydiving wingsuit, says he had level flight for a good 30 seconds.

    --
    ...I got nothing.