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http://www.24dash.com/news/Communities/2008-09-26-Rossy-the-Rocketman-sets-solo-channel-flight
Swiss adventurer Yves Rossy cracked open the Champagne today as he toasted becoming the first person to fly solo across the English Channel using a single jet-propelled wing.
A global audience witnessed Rossy leap from a plane more than 8,200ft (2,500m) above France before soaring at more than 100mph over one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes powered by four jets on his home-made wing.
Before making the jump, he gave a high five to his crew and then perched himself perilously on a step just outside the plane door in what Rossy described as perfect weather conditions.
Several minutes into the flight, scores of spectators waiting for him on top of the White Cliffs of Dover saw the 49-year-old professional pilot come into view amid cloudless skies.
With a light wind on his back, he crossed the iconic cliffs in just over nine minutes and even completed some loops before spending some four more minutes in the air after pulling the rip cord on his parachute.
He was mobbed by camera crews and photographers after landing in a field just behind the South Foreland lighthouse at 1.19pm BST.
Rossy said: “It was just perfect. I’m in a dream.”
He added that he felt “great, really great”. He said he felt no fear at any point during the adventure and said how he marvelled at the beauty of the White Cliffs as he approached them.
He added: "I have flown many times like that but never in a place as famous as the Channel where great aviators have flown before. Everything was new to me.
“I didn’t know how many thousands of people were looking at me. It felt a little artificial, like I was in a parallel world but now I just feel euphoria.”
He went on: “I just showed that it is possible to fly like a bird.”
The feat turned out to be third time lucky for Rossy who had to postpone two earlier attempts earlier in the week because poor weather conditions made any bid too hazardous.
Rossy, a former military pilot, traced the route of French aviation pioneer Louis Bleriot, who became the first person to fly across the Channel in a plane 99 years ago.
Flying at speeds approaching 125mph, Rossy - a pilot with Swiss International Air Lines - overcame significant challenges.
He had never flown for longer than 10 minutes and his wing weight and measurements had to be precise, with even the addition of a tiny camera possibly affecting how long he could stay in the air.
The jets on his 8ft-long wing also needed to be ignited while still inside the plane.
Over the past few months, he has been fine-tuning the wing’s design and performance and carried out several test flights in wind tunnels and above the Swiss Alps.
His wing weighed about 120lb with fuel and included four simple, kerosene-burning jet turbines to keep him airborne and propel him.
Created from a lightweight carbon composite, the wing had no steering devices, meaning Rossy had to use his head and back to control the wing’s movement.
He was fitted with a special suit, helmet and parachute to protect him from the jet turbines mounted just inches from him on the wing.
He faces a rapid return to reality on Monday when he goes back to work piloting a flight to Egypt with Swiss International Air Lines.
But he had no qualms about it, saying: “It’s the best office in the world, being in the cockpit of a plane.”
Speaking of his next challenges, he said he plans to continue developing his pioneering form of aircraft with smaller wings and bigger engines.
He also aims to fly over the Grand Canyon and take off from the ground.
So who wants to build a jet propelled wing? come on, it cant be that hard can it?