I stand on the edge of the cliff, looking out across the Beach to the water as it disappears into the horizon. I check the wing on my back one last time, and then I leap into the air as the four jets kick to life, screaming into the air with thrust. For a brief second I am spinning and falling to the sand below but then things level out and I am truly flying. I swoop down to the beach, skimming over the water. Then I angle upward and climb into the air, feeling the pull on my stomach as the wing throws me onward. As I peak in my climb and hover ever so slightly before angling off level I notice that the view is marvelous. Becoming comfortable that this may actually work, I release my grip on the parachute cord ever so slightly.
A Swiss man named Yves Rossy has built a personal wing that a single person wears, and he has proven to a gathered media in BEX, Switzerland, that it does indeed fly. Rossy began his flight as he exited the plane at 7500 feet, wearing only his eight foot wing and a whole lot of nerve. As he fell to earth the engines came to life, and soon the bold jet man was not falling but flying. As Rossy traveled across the sky at speeds around 186 mph he thrilled the gathered crowd, going so far as to doing loops and climbs for their (and no doubt his own) entertainment.
Despite the heat resistant suit worn for protection from the four jet engines, Rossy claims that the flight is not hard on the body, and that it was rather like "riding a motorbike". While doubtful that the experience would be that simple to the average bike rider, Rossy does show that personal wing flight is a reality. Rossy has plans for a trip across the English Channel (for which he plans to practice by going 22 miles between two hot air balloons), and would like to go across the Grand Canyon some day. The $285,000 Rosy and his sponsors have put into the effort may lead to a commercial venture, but for now Rossy definitely earns the title bestowed upon him, "Fusion Man".
Aloha from the Beach
UPDATE: We have a new article on this story which shows a video. You can find it on the Beach here.
