A Working, Winged Jetpack from Switzerland

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."

Comments

Nausicaa

[Darkman, Walkin Dude]

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?

Re:Nausicaa

[rucs_hack]

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

Holy crap...

Re:Nausicaa

[rfunches]

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.

No criticism intended....

[NoseBag]

....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.