Yves Rossy launched himself from a hot-air balloon on Friday and completed two aerial loops using just his custom-made jet-propelled wingsuit – the first time such manoeuvres have been performed by this daredevil who has a fondness for breaking aviation boundaries.
Note: Embedded in this post is Rossy’s groundbreaking jet propelled flight across the 35km-wide English Channel in 2008. We’re unable to bring you the video of his loops on Friday due to copyright issues, but the link to the YouTube video is included below.
Friday’s stunt was the latest in a series by the former fighter pilot, who says he hopes one day to fly through the Grand Canyon.
Rossy launched himself from a replica of the Breitling Orbiter – the first balloon to be piloted non-stop around the world in 1999 – at an altitude of about 2 400m near Lake Geneva. Then he fired up the jets on his newly modified – smaller and sleeker – wingsuit to perform the loop before landing safely with a parachute.
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An elated Rossy declared himself very satisfied with the flight. For more see the amazing high definition video on Youtube.