Real life flightsuit!

[miriya]

"Swiss pilot Yves Rossy, the world's first man to fly with a jet-powered fixed-wing apparatus strapped to his back, flies during his first official demonstration, on May 14, 2008 above Bex, Switzerland. (Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images) #"

Edited January 7, 2009 by miriya

[the white drew carey]

Yeah, but he's not really flying. He falls from a high elevation and the jets give him enough speed to go far. He may rise a bit in altitude at times, but his general direction is down.

Still neat, though.

[nightmareB4macross]

Pure AWESOME. Totally reminds me of the COBRA CLAW.

COBRA!!!!

[the white drew carey]

Pure AWESOME. Totally reminds me of the COBRA CLAW.

COBRA!!!!

Damn! I knew that reminded me of something!!! Thanks!

[taksraven]

Swiss pilot Yves Rossy, the world's first man to fly with a jet-powered fixed-wing apparatus strapped to his back, flies during his first official demonstration, on May 14, 2008 above Bex, Switzerland. (Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images) #

yawn.... Old news. A lot of us saw it in May. :rolleyes:

Taksraven

[VFTF1]

Yeah, but he's not really flying. He falls from a high elevation and the jets give him enough speed to go far

No offense - but this sounds like one of those "well the nose cone is still 3 milimeters to short/long comments in the Yamato toy section

I mean - technically - can't you say that airplanes are also falling from high elevation and jets give them enough speed to go far? Everything that goes up and does not leave the pull of gravity will come back down eventually - whether immediately, or only after running out of fuel or sustaining damage.

Heck - a aircraft launching off of an aircract carrier is also "falling from a high elevation" - as is a bird that "jumps" off a tree to spring into flight...

So - to me - the guy is flying - it's cool - and when can I get that thing in a store?

Pete

[Ghost Train]

--Sheryl Nome In Distress Sold Separately--

[lord_breetai]

Yeah, but he's not really flying. He falls from a high elevation and the jets give him enough speed to go far. He may rise a bit in altitude at times, but his general direction is down.

Still neat, though.

Not flying but falling with style?

Pure AWESOME. Totally reminds me of the COBRA CLAW.

COBRA!!!!

And the guy seriously looks like an action figure of GI Joe pilot Ace!

[the white drew carey]

No offense - but this sounds like one of those "well the nose cone is still 3 milimeters to short/long comments in the Yamato toy section

I mean - technically - can't you say that airplanes are also falling from high elevation and jets give them enough speed to go far? Everything that goes up and does not leave the pull of gravity will come back down eventually - whether immediately, or only after running out of fuel or sustaining damage.

Heck - a aircraft launching off of an aircract carrier is also "falling from a high elevation" - as is a bird that "jumps" off a tree to spring into flight...

So - to me - the guy is flying - it's cool - and when can I get that thing in a store?

Pete

No, it's not. His jets and wings do not provide him with enough lift to launch from thee ground, nor do they do enough to keep him airborne. Even under powered flight he still heads down regardless of the thrust being provided. Now if the jets provided enough thrust to keep him up until they ran out of fuel, that would be different. But that is not the case here.

[miriya]

Not flying but falling with style?

Nice Woody Quote!

[Dante74]

No, it's not. His jets and wings do not provide him with enough lift to launch from thee ground, nor do they do enough to keep him airborne.

You think his legs would be able to keep up with the speed he'd be going to get airborne? If he would launch from the ground he would need an undercarriage which would mean he'd need a fuselage which would mean he'd be flying a plane. Without undercarriage, a normal jet can't get airborne either, only rockets can do that.

Now if the jets provided enough thrust to keep him up until they ran out of fuel, that would be different. But that is not the case here.

Yes it is. He stays airborne untill the jets run out of fuel at which point he parachutes down.

[Agent ONE]

If people owned those things it would rain bodyparts.

[F-ZeroOne]

Release the SUN LEGIONS!

[sharky]

According to several news sources this guy has flown over the Alps and the English Channel, so it's fair to say he has achieved sustained flight. I can only imagine what the future holds for such a vehicle. Definitely has military applications.

[the white drew carey]

You think his legs would be able to keep up with the speed he'd be going to get airborne? If he would launch from the ground he would need an undercarriage which would mean he'd need a fuselage which would mean he'd be flying a plane. Without undercarriage, a normal jet can't get airborne either, only rockets can do that.

Yes it is. He stays airborne untill the jets run out of fuel at which point he parachutes down.

Ummm.. there have been many, many, planes in the history of flight that launch using a detachable undercarriage that drops away once airborne. So you're first point is moot.

He stays airborne but, except for quick maneuvers, constantly drops. Every "sensational" article you read yells out "Man flies!!!" But articles that are a little more realistic will also describe how far he goes vs. how for he drops.

Also, the reason for the parachute is because he has no way to land. Like you said, he has no undercarriage, so he can't land on his feets, and if he cuts out the thrust he drops like a rock because his wings do not provide enough lift to glide. That is why he parachutes down. If he could carry enough fuel to keep going, he would eventually ht the ground no matter what because he is always descending.

With that in mind, I'm not implying that this guy doesn't have balls of steel, and what he does is truly awesome. It's just that what he does doesn't constitute as true flight.

Like Woody said, and Lord_Breetai reminded us, it's more like falling... with style.

[miriya]

you know, he really does resemble Buzz Lightyear!

[Dante74]

Ummm.. there have been many, many, planes in the history of flight that launch using a detachable undercarriage that drops away once airborne. So you're first point is moot.

Again, those are planes with a fuselage to attach an undercarriage to, not a guy with wings and jets strapped to his back. Even if he was crazy enough to put on some rollerskates and try to gain enough speed for take off, he'd probably break his ankles before getting airborne. Which would make for a pretty painfull landing.

He stays airborne but, except for quick maneuvers, constantly drops. Every "sensational" article you read yells out "Man flies!!!" But articles that are a little more realistic will also describe how far he goes vs. how for he drops.

Also, the reason for the parachute is because he has no way to land. Like you said, he has no undercarriage, so he can't land on his feets, and if he cuts out the thrust he drops like a rock because his wings do not provide enough lift to glide. That is why he parachutes down. If he could carry enough fuel to keep going, he would eventually ht the ground no matter what because he is always descending.

Remember the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter? Once it lost thust, it dropped out of the sky like a brick because the wings did not provide enough lift to glide.

He lands using a parachute because he'd be going too fast for his legs to support the landing. He doesn't have an undercarriage remember?

With that in mind, I'm not implying that this guy doesn't have balls of steel, and what he does is truly awesome. It's just that what he does doesn't constitute as true flight.

Like Woody said, and Lord_Breetai reminded us, it's more like falling... with style.

So he fell across the English Channel, and he fell over the Alps?

[the white drew carey]

Again, those are planes with a fuselage to attach an undercarriage to, not a guy with wings and jets strapped to his back. Even if he was crazy enough to put on some rollerskates and try to gain enough speed for take off, he'd probably break his ankles before getting airborne. Which would make for a pretty painfull landing.

Ummm... he could rest it, or his wings could as well. I never said anything about rollerskates (although that would be funny).

Remember the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter? Once it lost thust, it dropped out of the sky like a brick because the wings did not provide enough lift to glide.

True, but it also had enough thrust to actually fly upwards. He doesn't.

He lands using a parachute because he'd be going too fast for his legs to support the landing. He doesn't have an undercarriage remember?

Yeah, I already remarked on that.

So he fell across the English Channel, and he fell over the Alps?

With style. He didn't "fall" but he also didn't completely fly.

[Dante74]

The X-1 did the exact same thing as this guy. It dropped from a plane, flew, ran out of fuel and landed. What's so different with this guy, the fact that the X-1 went up under its own power before going full speed?

Watch

. The guy himself says he can go left, right, up and down. You even see him going up. I'd say that is flight. It's limited, but it's still flight.

[sharky]

Ummm... he could rest it, or his wings could as well. I never said anything about rollerskates (although that would be funny).

True, but it also had enough thrust to actually fly upwards. He doesn't.

Yeah, I already remarked on that.

With style. He didn't "fall" but he also didn't completely fly.

Why do you keep arguing that he has not achieved flight? He is traveling at least 200km/h which is definitely enough speed. He states clearly that he can go "up" as well as "down, left, and right". The Fox News article reported that during his Alps flight he rose 2600 feet before coming back down again. Give it up already. You are dead wrong on that point.

Edited December 25, 2008 by sharky

[Dangaioh]

"To INFINITY and BEYOOOOND!"

yeah... you know someone had to type it.

[the white drew carey]

Why do you keep arguing that he has not achieved flight? He is traveling at least 200km/h which is definitely enough speed. He states clearly that he can go "up" as well as "down, left, and right". The Fox News article reported that during his Alps flight he rose 2600 feet before coming back down again. Give it up already. You are dead wrong on that point.

Nope. Don't have to give it up if I don't want to. I haven't broken any of MW's rules, so it's fair discussion. If I have a dissenting viewpoint I am entitled to say it now matter what a noob like you says.

[Chindenathus]

Nope. Don't have to give it up if I don't want to. I haven't broken any of MW's rules, so it's fair discussion. If I have a dissenting viewpoint I am entitled to say it now matter what a noob like you says.

Part of growing up is learning to adjust one's frame of refference to the facts before them:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-56...apped-back.html

Goodbye: The former pilot was launched from a plane at 8,000ft

After one last wave to the watching crowd, Rossy dipped his wings as he prepared for the piece de resistance,

a manoeuvre he hadn't tried before...He flipped onto his back and levelled out again, executing a perfect

360-degree roll that even a bird would find impossible.

"It's like a second skin," Rossy said later after landing on the shores of Lake Geneva.

"If I turn to the left, I fly left. If I nudge to the right, I go right."

With his first big test under his belt, Rossy, 48, is ready for bigger challenges: he plans to cross the English Channel

later this year, before attempting to fly through the Grand Canyon. To do this, he will have to fit more powerful jets

to allow for greater manoeuvring. The four Germanbuilt model aircraft engines he currently uses provide 200lb of

thrust each, enough to enable the 110lb foldable carbon wings, and Rossy in his 120lb flying suit, to climb at 200ft

a minute. "Physically, it's absolutely no stress," Rossy said.

Scroll down to watch Rossy in action...

The bold part and a basic grasp of physics proves you wrong.

If anything can climb higher that it's launch altitude it has acheived powered flight.

[sharky]

Nope. Don't have to give it up if I don't want to. I haven't broken any of MW's rules, so it's fair discussion. If I have a dissenting viewpoint I am entitled to say it now matter what a noob like you says.

That doesn't change the fact that you are totally wrong. You have a dissenting point of view in as much as I could say that the earth is flat. Having joined MW only 4 days before I did makes you just as much a "noob" as me.

[miriya]

Alright, just when I thought this topic was dead (never had much of a life to begin with really), My dad emailed me this link....

http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=177...mp;fullscreen=1

[Dante74]

Alright, just when I thought this topic was dead (never had much of a life to begin with really), My dad emailed me this link....

http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=177...mp;fullscreen=1

wow

That was awesome! Thanks for the link!