TOKYO — Flying above the famous snow-capped peak of Mount Fuji, Yves Rossy — known worldwide as the Jetman — reached speeds up to 185 mph looping and rolling with his jet powered carbon-Kevlar wing.
“Flying here for me is a dream. It is such a contrast flying free with just a wing on my back, compared to being enclosed in a cockpit as an airline pilot, ”said Rossy. “It is hard to describe the emotions and feeling of having an opportunity like this, it’s spiritual, it is immense. I am the lucky guy who gets to do this, but I hope I can motivate the next generation of forward thinkers to do something different, to strive and achieve their goals… even if it seems impossible.”
Rossy has carried out a series of flights, using a carbon-Kevlar Jetwing with four Jetcat engines, each of which are capable of a 22 kg thrust. The Swiss pilot is able to propel himself through the skies, controlled by a simple throttle in his hand.
The rest of the controls are left to the human fuselage — Rossy himself — who uses his shoulders, body and legs to steer, pitch and descend. This technology has allowed Rossy to achieve many outstanding feats, including soaring above Rio de Janeiro, completing aerobatics from the Breitling Orbiter Balloon, crossing the English Channel and flying in formation with various Breitling Jets, Warbirds and passenger aircraft.
Rossy first started developing the Jetman project in 1993 and in 2008 completed the first significant Jetman feat by crossing the English Channel. In 2010 the Swiss watchmaker Breitling joined as his main sponsor.