[Skyhook]

How cool is this Swiss guy !

He was reported to have achieved air speeds of 300kph ..

"Yves Rossy, the self-styled "Fusionman", leapt into the skies 2500 metres above the small town of Bex in western Switzerland clad in his new carbon wing, with which he performed various manoeuvres for five minutes before landing with the aid of a parachute.

His "wing" is 2.5 metres in diameter and comes with four tiny jets, which are actually lit inside the plane just before he jumps.

Once in full flight, Rossy can reach speeds of up to 300 km/h but he can only stay in the air for a maximum of ten minutes due to the small fuel capacity of his jets.

Rossy, a 48-year-old former air force pilot who now works for the airline Swiss, first unveiled his design in 2004.

It hasn't always been an easy ride though: during one jump in 2005, he lost control of his wing and didn't open his parachute until he was just 500 metres above ground. "

YouTube - Jet-man: Human powered flight

YouTube - Jet-man: Human powered flight

That Icarus jet suit is the ducks guts, a true grit experience !

[KnowItAll]

Hope he has a good chiropractor

[Lammarite]

I would have thought that his buttocks would be clenched tighter than KIA's wallet but, according to that vapour trail, evidently not!

Pretty awesome though. He's got nothing on this mad cheese eating surrender monkey though:

YouTube - French flying squirrel-man

YouTube - French flying squirrel-man

[Skyhook]

Winged suits have been around for 10 years, an extension of the base jumping fraternity, its becoming a popular sport in Australia.

The Australian DR couple on this 60 minutes report are planning to do the worlds highest altitude winged suit jump.


Part 1

YouTube - Winged suits, Squirrel flying, Flying wings of air. 1 of 2

YouTube - Winged suits, Squirrel flying, Flying wings of air. 1 of 2

The Hamsta prototype test was a very funny comment at the end of this clip.

I agree with Dr Glen, more people should get into adventure sports..

Part 2

YouTube - Winged suits, Squirrel flying, Flying wings of air. 2 of 2

YouTube - Winged suits, Squirrel flying, Flying wings of air. 2 of 2