Saturday, May 31, 2014

TED Talk - Yves Rossy: Fly With The JetMan

Rating: ****


Yves Rossy, also known as the Jetman, is able to 'fly' with the help of a powered jet wing on his back.


A similar concept to the 'squirrel suits', Yves is able to do everything a squirrel suit can do, and more with the help of a powered wing on his back. He is able to fly for times up to 8 minutes with it. By arching his back he can arc upwards, and by pushing his shoulder he can go into a dive. He turns his head left and right to steer sideways. The wing uses four engines each powered by kerosene. In the event of an emergency, he has two parachutes for himself, and one for the wing, and he is able to detach himself should he ever need to. It's possible to reach speeds of up to 190 mph.


I found this TED talk incredibly interesting. The concept that a person can fly almost on their own is intriguing and very appealing. While I wished that instead of being interviewed, Yves would have spoken about it himself, it didn't take away from the topic. By opening with a video of the wing in action catches your attention and you become eager to learn more about it. It would be cool to see this become more popular as an extreme sport.


Rossy, Yves. TED Talks. Fly With The Jetman. Nov 2011. Video.

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