<![CDATA[Gizmodo: Jet-man]]> http://cache.gawker.com/assets/base/img/thumbs140x140/gizmodo.com.png <![CDATA[Gizmodo: Jet-man]]> http://gizmodo.com/tag/jet-man http://gizmodo.com/tag/jet-man <![CDATA[ Jet-Man Is So Cool It Hurts ]]> Yves Rossy is an absolute lunatic, but we love him for it. He has been involved in human jet-powered flight since 2001, back in April he survived a potentially life threatening incident when his jet wings encountered problems mid flight. Since then he has been working on repairing and improving the system, he has been so busy with the repairs process he has not been giving any interviews whatsoever.


What we do know is this; he has completed thirty motorized flights with nothing but himself strapped to a set of carbon foldable wings, which provide the power source for his flights in a manner that is not fully disclosed. What is disclosed is how freaking awesome Yves Rossy is. If you do not believe us check out the gallery, we dare you. Warning: You may wet yourself in excitement. [Jet-Man via Gadget Venue].

]]>
Sun, 05 Aug 2007 21:06:00 EDT Haroon Malik http://gizmodo.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=286188&view=rss&microfeed=true
<![CDATA[ Swiss FusionMan Flies With Kevlar, Fiberglass Wings and Probably a High Dose of Cheese and Wine ]]>

Let's hear it for the Swiss, who are probably seen as the most boring of Europeans. Remember Orson Welles' character, Harry Lime, in The Third Man? "In Italy for 30 years under the Borgias they had warfare, terror, murder and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, da Vinci and the Renaissance. In Switzerland they had 500 years of democracy and peace, and what did that produce? The cuckoo clock."

Add Yves Rossy to the list of cuckoos (although it scares me stiff, secretly I would thrill to be gazooming around doing what he does—well, at least once.) This 50-something former military and commercial pilot has spent the past seven years developing and testing Kevlar and fiberglass wings with Jetcat engines that enable him to soar in the sky at speeds of up to 120 mph. Swiss watchmakers Hublot have now sponsored him and Fusionman, as he is now known, will be seen in the skies above the Austrian and Swiss football stadiums during Euro 2008. An amazing video after the jump.

FusionMan [FusionMan]

]]>
Tue, 17 Apr 2007 10:25:16 EDT www.gizmodo.com http://gizmodo.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=252857&view=rss&microfeed=true