‘Fusion Man’ Yves Rossy Crosses English Channel With Personal Jet Wing
Yves Rossy, known as ‘Fusion Man’ in some circles, has successfully crossed the English Channel using his personal jet wing contraption. You may remember my previous mention of Yves, when his jet wing was officially unveiled back in May. This suit, once strapped to his back, will allow Yves to propel himself over 200 mph through the sky.
Back in May, Yves was busy testing his latest invention. The inventor and aviation enthusiast concluded that testing process and was recently looking for a big adventure. This adventure would have to be something that would show off his invention, while also paying respects to the past. The English Channel looked to be perfect.
Yves lept from a plane at 8,200 feet, fired up his jets, and went on a wild 22 mile ride. The jet wing houses four turbine jet engines and no steering mechanism, other than Yves’ own body. He twists and turns to get the jet wing to go in the direction it should.
His flight began in Calais, France, then zipped across the channel to a small strip of land near South Foreland. He shut the jets down and parachuted to the ground amidst many spectators and fans. His route had followed that of french aviator pioneer Louis Bleriot, the first person to cross the English Channel in an airplane 99 years ago.
To read more on Yves Rossy’s amazing flight, be sure to check out this Associated Press article.
Filed Under aviation |
Steve Fossett: The Search Continues, Sir Richard Branson ‘Obviously Worried’..More
Day 2 of the search to locate Billionaire and Adventure enthusiast Steve Fossett continues..
Yesterday search efforts were hampered by high winds that wouldn’t let aerial search and rescuers close to the ground. So far today, the winds and weather are both cooperating.
Today the search is focusing in on a 600 square mile area in western Nevada, with some close ground runs being initiated by helicopters and planes in the area.
Close friend Sir Richard Branson, an adventurer in his own right and a sponsor of some of Fossett’s work–has said that he is “Obviously worried.” Mr. Branson went on to elaborate that Steve Fossett usually wore a GPS tracking device on his body, in the form of a watch, and if in fact Steve had encountered trouble, Branson is worried that Fossett may be hurt, as Fossett’s watch has not set off it’s GPS signal.
Steve Fossett, holder of more than 100 personal records in aviation, sailing, and ballooning would be able to handle the elements for a few days and is no stranger to trouble–if indeed he was not injured severely.
The Plane Steve Fossett was piloting at the time of his disappearance was a Ballanca N240R. The Ballanca N240R is a plane used for aerial acrobatics and high-risk manuevers in air shows across the country and is built with this in mind. Registration and ownership of the plane belongs to The Flying M Hunting Club out of Yerington, NV. Service records show that the plane was last inspected on May 16, 2006 but given a clean bill.
The 600 mile area of land where search and rescue activities are currently taking place is a pretty rugged area. Large amounts of Sagebrush and some deep ravines have hampered what officials have been able to do thus far with the prevailing winds. This area is also a “desert” region which should concern people as well, if, indeed Steve Fossett is still alive. It is known that he was only planning a short trip and presumably does not have “survival” food and water with him.
Yesterday, it was also noted that Steve Fossett did not pack a required parachute for this short trip. The reasons for this are not known, but it is the law to have one on the aircraft.
Not much has really changed. Efforts are ongoing and will continue thorughout the evening and into tomorrow if Mr. Fossett is not found. I will keep you updated if any new news breaks on this continued effort to find aviation legend and adventurer Steve Fossett.
Filed Under Adventure, Ballanca N240R, Flying M Ranch, GPS, Nevada, SAR, Sailing, Search and Rescue, Sir Richard Branson, Steve Fossett, aviation, ballooning, search for Steve Fossett |
BREAKING NEWS: ADVENTURIST STEPHEN FOSSETT’S PLANE MISSING
BREAKING NEWS–BREAKING NEWS–BREAKING NEWS–BREAKING NEWS
Stephen Fossett Missing! September 4, 2007
Stephen Fossett, the man who single-handedly flew a hot air balloon around the world in 2002 to set a world record, is missing. The FAA has announced that Mr. Fossett took off in his single-engine Balanca yesterday morning at 8:45 am but failed to make it to his destination. Search efforts for the missing plane are currently being undertaken.
Stephen Fossett, 63, from Beaver Creek, Colorado is a world famous aviation adventurer. After his successful 2002 flight around the world in a hot air balloon Stephen would undertake a few more high-risk challenges in the efforts of pushing the boundaries of aviation. In 2005, Fossett became the first person to fly a plane around the world without refueling and is also credited, along with his co-pilot of setting the mark for the world’s highest altitude reached in a paraglider–50, 671 ft. in August of this year.
Stephen’s big noteriety in the aviation field though still remains his 2002 Hot Air Balloon flight that took him 19, 428.6 miles around the world. Fossett had tried the feat previously 5 times, with more press building for each successive attempt. Two of the failed attempts resulted in Mr. Fossett having to be rescued after the Balloon went down in treacherous waters of the Ocean.
According to FAA personnel, Fossett had failed to file a flight plan. This has hampered the Civil Air Patrol, who is in charge of the search and rescue, from being able to find Mr. Fossett’s plane. It is known that Stephen Fossett was planning on flying from a private airstrip south of Smith Valley in western Nevada, but didn’t return as he had planned.
A friend of Mr. Fossett’s tipped the authorities off to the missing plane and a search is ongoing. The search is being coordinated by the United States Air Force’s Rescue Coordination Center in Langley, VA with help of the United States Civil Air Patrol.
According to the online Encyclopedia site Wikipedia, Stephen Fossett holds or has held 116 different world records in five different sports, of which 80 are still standing. Mr. Fossett was also the founder of his own Securities company based out of Chicago, IL–Marathon Securities.
More from Wikipedia regarding todays news:
According to CNN News, the search for Fossett began about six hours later (from time of take-off). He was flying in a single-engine, Citabria Super Decathlon — a plane capable of aerobatics — with tail number N240R, according to CAP. Fossett, though, had no parachute, which is required for aerobatics. There has been no sound from the plane’s emergency locator radio beacon, which goes off if there is a hard impact.
Fossett took off on Monday with enough fuel for four to five hours of flight, according to Civil Air Patrol Maj. Cynthia S. Ryan. Yerington is south of Carson City, near the California border.
[7] There is speculation that Fossett made an unplanned landing, possibly crashing, in western Nevada.[8] A Federal Aviation Administration spokesperson noted that Fossett apparently did not file a flight plan.[9][10]
Please note that this information is from Wikipedia and cannot be confirmed as altogether factual at this time.
