Monday 6 October 2008

Is He Mad?

'Buzz Lightyear' rocket man Yves Rossy crosses the Channel in 13 minutes

Daddy, I saw that Buzz Lightyear rocket across the Channel and land in a field near Dover... honest. It might sound like a child's fantasy, but yesterday daredevil Yves Rossy looked as if he had brought the Toy Story character to life when he shot over the sea from France in an incredible 13 minutes. The rocket man hurtled across the water at 125mph with four turbine engines strapped to his back and a fibreglass wing.

After he landed next to a lighthouse at Dover, he said calmly: "It was great, really great. It was perfect. Blue sky, sunny, no clouds." Swiss airline pilot Yves began his thrilling adventure after being dropped from a plane over France. His power pack sparked into life and off he shot over to Britain. The 49-year-old said he climbed by arching his back and descended by pointing his head to the ground. He added: "I navigate only with my eyes and with the sun. The feeling is great. "You don't steer it you only fly with your body. It is overwhelming." Yves was retracing the 22-mile route of pilot Louis Bleriot, the first man to fly across the Channel 100 years ago in 1908.

So what's next for the intrepid action man? He said he wants to fly over the Grand Canyon and form an aerobatics team with jet packs. Yves added: "We can take five guys and be like the Red Arrows just with our bodies." If that fails, there's always a trip to infinity... er give the Red Arrows any day!

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