Friday, May 16, 2008

Innovation

This is not a photoshop or computer-generated image.


That's a genuine personal, jet-powered flying wing invented by Yves Rossy. It's powered by several model-plane jet engines, and it doesn't actually have enough power for take off; he has to jump out of a plane like a parachutist. He apparently steers like a sky-diver by just shifting his weight and using his limbs as control surfaces.

And, yes, he does have a parachute.

Some people are too cool for words.

2 comments:

Saranga said...

That is beyond awesome. I want.

Anonymous said...

This basic concept has been around for years. Several attempts were made a years ago that resulted in fatalities. New, lighter composite materials and more advanced aerodynamic modeling have brought about this concept. I have flown several models like this, both rigid (like this) and flexible (wingsuit), but unpowered. And yes, it is beyond cool. One almost thinks thay can land...almost. After 2600 skydives, it is still a thrill to fly something like this.