Yves “ Jetman ” Rossy ’s exploits have beenwell - documentedover the year . He ’s crossed the English Channel , theGrand Canyon , and flown alongside aB-17 bomberwith a jet - powered wing strapped to his back and nothing else . He ’s crazy in the best way potential . We caught up with Yves yesterday to chat about what ’s coming next for Jetman , his mentation onFelix Baumgartnerand what it ’s like to fly with a wing strapped to your back .
https://gizmodo.com/swiss-maniac-leaps-from-helicopter-and-jetpacks-across-5800526
All emphasis ours .
Gizmodo : Since your first flight in 2006 , what change have you made to the wing and what version are you presently flying ?
Jetman : 2006 was a fixed fender , but foldaway , and only 2 locomotive . So I was just able to fly level , sustained escape . After this , I have a wing that is much more simple , smaller , more compact , so it ’s lighter because I do n’t have all the system of the foldable thing . And I have 4 engines . So these are the main differences . And it ’s a more delta wing , I have bountiful winglets , another visibility that is much more stable than the first one , because the first one was made first , to match an inflatable structure , not a rigid one , so it was compact than that one . So it did n’t fly so well as that one . This one is a result of an streamlined subject area in a wind tunnel . The former one was the event of a good opinion .
Gizmodo : Are you going in the wind tunnel when you ’re try out the wing , or no ?
Jetman : That ’s the only metre that I went in a winding tunnel , with the wing that I sweep the Channel with . We do n’t have any database of a flexible anatomical structure , of the human physiology , so it ’s unimaginable to simulate that , so if I require to increase the performance , you should first know what you have . So I move into the wind tunnel and we evaluate everything , without moving the wing , but just moving my dead body , make the move that I do in the air to point , to fly , and we did quantify everything . The solvent was that I was unstable in bankroll , unstable in yaw , and just stable in pitch . So the engineers from the winding tunnel they order me , this matter should n’t flee .
But I am an adaptive structure , and that ’s why I did fly . As it was quite unstable matter , with the engineers we did develop something that is more stable , less complicated without the foldable wing , and yeah , that ’s the result . And the field was made in 2008 and the first prototype , first as a glider , I did pilot it in 2009 only . So it ’s quite lately .
Gizmodo : Prior to a escape , what ’s your preparation regimen like ?
Jetman : Okay , so I seek to keep primed , the landing gear are my leg so I school my peg by jogging , swimming , biking and skiing . I seek to do activity where I need also some , like skiing , it ’s not just lifting weight , you adapt to the snow , to the elements , to the environment so this kind of training . And just before flight I do a good warm up of everything – legs , arms , back , neck , you know ? So that I ’m really ready for activity and also as I have still , especially at the landing I still have 80 pounds , 75 - 80 pounds on my back , if something bump I ’m warm and it ’s not a big stupor for my physical , for my legs and bones .
Gizmodo : So the whole system is 75 - 80 Syrian pound ?
Jetman : Yes , at landing place . And when I go in the air I ’m about 130 - 135 at the commencement . The divergence is the fuel and smoke liquid . The smoke is paraffin , a intermixture of paraffin and Rudolf Diesel , and it proceed in the exhaust fumes of the locomotive engine , it is about 700 degrees , it makes a gracious white-hot smoking .
Gizmodo : Do you still fly formal planes ?
Jetman : Yes , especially biplane . I on a regular basis fly a Vickers . That ’s a literal , belittled biplane , you do stunting , and so it ’s really decent also to have your capitulum outside , you know , it ’s not inside a house of cards , inside a cockpit . You have a much good flavor , you get laid , if it ’s moth-eaten if it ’s lovesome , also the olfactory perception of the Tree when you ’re at low height and so on .
Gizmodo : Is there a particular era of plane that you enjoy ? Like , I wish former WWII Italian sandwich planes .
Jetman : I love WWII airplanes too , but my heart , I ’m not objective , I was a fighter pilot , and I ’m still flying a Hawker Hunter . And in these variety of machines where you ’re just , a Mirage you ’re twice ultrasonic but a Hunter is just subsonic . When you ’re at that speed , like , 1,000 km/h low altitude in the Alps , and that vigor , with that reference of the mountains , it ’s entirely insubstantial great power .
These are really great feelings because that third attribute , in a few irregular you go from the bottom to the top of the Matterhorn , that ’s a large , fully grown John Rock , that ’s only a few seconds . I locomote twice on the top of the Matterhorn , it ’s 7 to 8 hour climbing , and you have to descend . In a few second you are on top with one of these airplane . When you have this flavour you know , the muscularity you have is completely unreal and it ’s good . It gives you really a dimension more , it ’s not anymore prostrate . That ’s wondrous and uh , I love the jet fighters .
Gizmodo : In the time you ’ve been using the wing , is there a particular illustration that was your chilling moment ?
Jetman : Yeah , I had shuddery moments [ early on ] when it did n’t work so properly , at landing , under my parachutes , bad lead , almost wreck landing . I could have been in a wheelchair after landing like that , just luck , I had a ripe guardian angel . I had also close call when I was so sure-footed , then I was again in a bad position , you know , it was unstable , or spins , and I had to eject the wings about 20 time during the development .
It ’s especially worse when you are n’t very confident . You retrieve , “ oops I ’m unsound , ” and I have you know an audible altimeter saying to me you are at a minimal altitude , “ claxon beep beep beep , ” like that I ’m going down , okay I ’m unsound , I can not open my parachute , I unloosen the wing . Okay , it make .
But when you are becoming confident , and in the air , now I manage the thing , and you have again something like that , unstable or something , and you hear “ beep beep beep beep ” you guess yeah , I will , alternatively , you get it on , release the wing and normally you have small haunt and it ’s complicated , and sometimes it could break a part , so you think , yea , okay , I ’ll go a little bit further and I ’ll regain control . And if you do n’t regain mastery , and then you are too low to do anything else but open up your parachute in a completely unstable berth , which is exceedingly dangerous . Because if you give your parachute when you are like that , the risk of exposure that your bloodline are going in your feet or around you or around your neck is very high . And it happen once , luckily I ’m still here , but yeah , these kinds of situations , I did n’t have many but I had to do breaks , to tranquillise down again , and then passion descend again .
Gizmodo : How fast can you currently go with the setup that you have right now ?
Jetman : Cruising is like hundred knots , that ’s , in land mile per hour , 110 , 120 geographical mile per hour . And maximum 190 before , in line of descent , full jab , before a eyelet I am about 190 miles per hour . I do n’t have any speed measurement except my respectable belief , but we did put some measuring sometimes to sleep together G ’s , I pull up to 3 - Gs , with a miniskirt - program inside the wings , that ’s why I know which kind of speed I have , but , you feel everything you do n’t need instruments . You put your hired man out of your car window , you could close your eyes , you could say anytime if you are deadening or fast , just with the pressure of the air . And I am in the air so I do n’t need instrument .
Gizmodo : And how mellow can you go ?
Jetman : The highest I ’ve been now is about 13,000 foot , so a little spot more than 4,000 meter . But , ok , most probably I could go gamy I did n’t try yet , it ’s really and that ’s the record with that variety of fender .
That ’s the next step I ’m look on bigger engines that will give me , really , normally I hope that it will work , a free burning vertical flight , up , and at that prison term I would wish to go up as eminent as possible , theoretically to the stratosphere . But it ’s only possibility , so we ’ll see if in practice , in reality it ’s possible . But I do n’t risk anything to try because I have 2 parachutes on my back , I ’ll have oxygen , and even without any engines , I glide , so go up until no fuel , PEW , and then calculate at your altimeter . That ’s one of the next projects .
Gizmodo : So that ’s the next undertaking ?
Jetman : ONE of the next , there are many .
Gizmodo : What are some of the other ones ?
Jetman : pop out from the ground , but not flat ground , a cliff . Why a cliff , because it ’s dependable , you know , you’re able to opine if this is the drop , you go out with , 80 miles per hour out of the drop-off here , you speed on the ramp , so if it fly , no problem . If you have a problem , let go of the wings , launch the chute , you are eminent enough .
Cause that ’s a moment that is fantastic , I do n’t know if you ’ve tried a paraglider or hang up glider , when you leave the ground , you know , you run and abruptly you palpate that you are leaving earth . And that ’s a sorcerous minute , completely unnatural for man . And I would like to experience that with my wings on my back .
Gizmodo : So given Felix Baumgartner ’s jumping from the stratosphere , is that something you call back , not necessarily replicate , but can you jet up to the stratosphere and then …
Jetman : And down ? You amount down anyhow .
Gizmodo : So how would you get down with your jetpack ? Would you have to unfreeze it ?
Jetman : Nothing , it glide without any locomotive engine very well . So yes , that ’s a nice challenge , go to the stratosphere , but not down , up ? It will be difficult to go as high as he was because even missile do n’t go that high , but I ’m not a projectile . But yeah , as gamy as potential , direction stratosphere .
Gizmodo : Did you watch his jump ?
Jetman : Yeah , fantastic . You bed , onetime skydiver are jealous because yeah , that ’s a fantastic step . From that tiptop ? Not easy , but , I think , yeah , we are jealous of this hombre .
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