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Not A Bird, Not A Plane, It’s Flight Of The Jet Man!

Written by thomas · Filed Under Aeronautics News 

September 10, 2008

thomas

WITNESS MAN’S FIRST ATTEMPT TO FLY ACROSS THE ENGLISH CHANNEL WITH A
JETPACK

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CHANNEL TO WEBCAST LIVE COVERAGE FOLLOWED BY
PRIMETIME SPECIAL

Part Superhero – Part Adventurer Attempts 12-Minute Journey Into the
History Books

Flight of the Jet Man is Scheduled for Wednesday, September 24,
Conditions Permitting

WASHINGTON, Sept. 9 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — In just weeks, one man
will be the first to attempt to fly across the English Channel using a
single, jet-propelled wing attached to his back. Swiss adventurer Yves
Rossy will fire up his homemade jet wing, jump from a plane and attempt to
cross the 23-mile channel in 12 minutes at about 120 mph. The National
Geographic Channel (NGC) has exclusive U.S. access to his historic flight
and will stream Rossy’s mission LIVE at http://www.natgeotv.com/jetman, as well as
broadcast a special one-hour program that same night. Internationally, the
event will air LIVE in 167 countries (excluding France, Switzerland and
Canada) on NGC and its Web site. Rossy is scheduled to make his attempt
Wednesday, September 24, subject to weather conditions, with a daily
contingency window through Friday, September 26. NGC is committed to
covering this event whichever day it occurs.

Live coverage will stream on the NGC Web site, http://www.natgeotv.com/jetman,
and document Rossy’s flight from his takeoff near Calais, France, to his
landing almost 15 minutes later in Dover, U.K. The live online coverage
will begin at 7 a.m. ET / 4 a.m. PT with Rossy’s preparations and his
scheduled launch expected at approximately 8 a.m. ET / 5 a.m. PT. The
entire process and flight will be distilled into an hour-long special,
Flight of the Jet Man, that will air on NGC that same night at 9 p.m.
ET/PT. (Contingency note: if the attempt is delayed until Friday, September
26, the primetime show will air at 8 p.m. ET/PT, due to the presidential
debate.)

Flight of the Jet Man will cover every angle of this historic chapter
in aviation history, beginning on the ground in France as Rossy reviews
safety measures just before takeoff — especially important as his
jet-propelled wing needs to be ignited while still inside the plane — and
following as he attempts to touch down in England and enter the annals of
history. Cameras in his launch plane and on a helicopter will be
supplemented by another mounted on the jetpack wing to capture dramatic
aerial coverage throughout the flight.

Rossy, who refers to himself to as “Fusion Man” because he represents a
true fusion between pilot and plane, will jump from a plane almost 2 miles
above the ground and soar at speeds reaching approximately 120 mph using a
specialized wing weighing about 120 pounds (including four kerosene-burning
jet turbines). Created from a lightweight carbon composite, the wing has no
steering devices; Rossy uses his head and back to control his movements.
Outfitted with a special suit, helmet and parachute, Rossy has taken
extensive precautions to protect himself from the four jet turbines resting
just a few inches away from him on the wing.

“I have enormous admiration for the pioneers of aviation,” says Rossy.
“There is great beauty in the exploits of Bleriot and Lindbergh, for
example. They risked their lives to discover the path not taken, to go
where no one has gone before.”

Part of a fearless fraternity of experimental pilots, Rossy will take a
route mirroring that of French pioneer Louis Bleriot, who dared to be the
first to cross the English Channel in an airplane 99 years ago. To achieve
his own defining moment in aviation, Rossy must overcome significant
challenges along the way. The wing weight and measurements must be
incredibly precise — even the addition of cameras mounted on the wing to
record his flight may impact how long he is able to stay in the air.
Likewise, weather conditions must be just right for him to fly long enough
to complete the journey. Although test flights in wind tunnels and the
Swiss Alps have helped Rossy polish the wing and his skills, only time will
tell if he is able to accomplish this great feat.

Flight of the Jet Man is produced for National Geographic Channel and
National Geographic Channels International by Cirrus Communications. Andre
Barro from Cirrus and Bernard Vaillot from Galaxie Productions are the
executive producers. Kathryn Liptrott is producer for Cirrus. For NGC-US,
executive producer is Kathleen Cromley and executive vice president of
content is Steve Burns; for NGCI, executive vice president of content is
Sydney Suissa.

About National Geographic Channel

Based at the National Geographic Society headquarters in Washington,
D.C., the National Geographic Channel (NGC) is a joint venture between
National Geographic Ventures (NGV) and Fox Cable Networks (FCN). Since
launching in January 2001, NGC initially earned some of the fastest
distribution growth in the history of cable and more recently the fastest
ratings growth in television. The network celebrated its fifth anniversary
January 2006 with the launch of NGC HD which provides the spectacular
imagery that National Geographic is known for in stunning high-definition.
NGC has carriage with all of the nation’s major cable and satellite
television providers, making it currently available to nearly 69 million
homes. For more information, please visit http://www.natgeotv.com.

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