Slashdot Mirror
Jetman Yves Rossy Flies In Formation With Jets
smitty777 writes "Slashdot has been following Yves Rossy in his previous exploits across the Grand Canyon and his attempts at international flight. He is now flying in formations with real jets. He even does a barrel roll around the two fighters in the video below."
Anyone who is "unimpressed" by a guy with a wing and four jet engines strapped on his back flying in formation with jet planes for no reason other than because he feels like it needs to have his or her geek card revoked.
Eh, I'm fairly impressed that a jetpack can fly in formation with any fixed-wing jet aircraft. Yeah, they're only a little above stall speed, but most manned aircraft even close to the size of that suit's wing can't reach 100 knots at all, much less 180.
As for the distance, remember that his suit has very little mass to withstand turbulence. Sure, it would be cool to show him nestled between the two planes or soemthing like that, but it would also be extremely dangerous, especially since if something went wrong he's already at max power and they're already at min, which limits the maneuvers either can make. Flying around them close enough to see the pilots is already one hell of an accomplishment.
There's no place I could be, since I've found Serenity...
The Internet + Modern Science + Pace of change = ridiculously hard to impress people
In a world where NASA hasn't been able to get really good funding since the moon landings, are you really going to criticize a guy over a sponsor whose greatest crime is trying to sell you bling bling?
It's probably not quite correct to say that Breitling doesn't "give a shit about science" or that they make "designer watches." Designer watches are what you pick up for $49.95 at Marshall's and toss in the trash when the battery dies. If you've ever held a Breitling, you'd certainly agree that the quality of design and workmanship is orders of magnitude better than a typical "designer watch." Admittedly, the price is also orders of magnitude greater, but you get what you pay for. And there's an enormous amount of both science and engineering that goes into the manufacture of a modern mechanical timepiece. Watch manufacturers are constantly working to develop longer-lasting and more effective lubricants. They develop new alloys to use in escapements to make their watches more resistant to the effects of gravity, magnetism and temperature. They use silicon and other materials in place of metal to reduce both wear and the need for lubrication in their movements. So, I'm thinking that the folks at Breitling probably do give a shit about science.