Forget Silicon Valley, how’s this for innovation: Man crosses British Channel on jet packs

Venture Beat — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 15:16:55 -0400

Yves Rossy may sound like a nutcase, but his trip today across the British channel on a wing powered by four miniature jets was successful anyway. This is a little difficult to fathom, so there’s a picture, right, of “FusionMan” with his carbon-fiber wing.

“I was thinking, the water is pretty cold down there,” the Swissman said after touching down outside Dover, U.K., in explaining how he made it across. He was traveling at about 125 miles per hour.

A similar trip across the Channel, 99 years ago, helped touch off the era of mass aviation — just prior to World War I, which spurred innovation in plane designs. It doesn’t seem particularly likely that this flight will set off a revolution in jet packs.

Then again, there are startups trying to bring back zeppelins and send tourists to space hotels, so anything is possible. A video of an earlier flights by Rossy is below. You’ll likely be able to catch a video of the Channel crossing later, accompanied by the inevitable Elton John song, “Rocket Man“.

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Forget Silicon Valley, how’s this for innovation: Man crosses British Channel on jet packs