craig(at)craigandjean.com
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 Posted: Fri Sep 26, 2008 8:33 am Post subject: Off-topic: "Fusion man" Yves Rossy crosses the Channel |
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(09-26) 09:27 PDT DOVER, England (AP) --
A Swiss daredevil crossed the English Channel strapped to a homemade
jet-propelled wing Friday, parachuting into a field near the white cliffs of
Dover after a 10-minute solo flight.
Yves Rossy leapt from a plane at around 8,200 feet (2,500 meters), fired up
his jets and made the 22-mile (35-kilometer ) trip from Calais in France.
Rossy passed over a thin strip of land in front of South Foreland
lighthouse, looped over onlookers and opened his parachute, his wings still
strapped to his back.
"It was perfect. Blue sky, sunny, no clouds, perfect conditions," he said.
"We prepared everything and it was great."
The trip across the Channel is meant to trace the route of French aviator
Louis Bleriot, the first person to cross in an airplane 99 years ago.
The lighthouse was the site of Guglielmo Marconi's experiments with radio
telegraphy in 1898. Bleriot used the white building as a target during his
pioneering flight, the building's manager, Simon Ovenden, said.
Several hundred spectators rushed to greet the pilot, trying to take
photographs with cameras and cell phones.
"It's a remarkable achievement, we saw the climax of his attempt as he came
down to earth with his parachute. It's been an exciting afternoon," said
Geoff Clark, a 54-year-old onlooker from Chatham, in Kent.
The carbon composite-wing weighs about 121 pounds (55 kilograms) when loaded
with fuel, and carried four kerosene-burning jet turbines that kept him
aloft. The wing had no steering devices - Rossy moved his body to control
its movements.
He wore a heat-resistant suit similar to that worn by firefighters and
racing drivers to protect him from the heat of the turbines. The cooling
effect of the wind and high altitude also prevented him from getting too
hot.
Mark Dale, the senior technical officer for the British Hang Gliding and
Paragliding Association, described Rossy's flight as a "fabulous stunt."
www.jet-man.com
-- Craig
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