I have a birthday coming up, and this is definitely going on my Amazon.com wish list.
That is Swiss pilot Yves Rossy, flying at a height of about 6000 ft across the English Channel in his personal jetpack yesterday. He reached speeds of up to 125 mph before releasing his parachute and landing in England. Via.
This would make my morning commute quicker. More science would get done, and the world would benefit. Let’s start taking up a collection, right?
CV readers should feel free to send blank checks and money orders to me, personally, after which I will purchase Sean’s birthday present. You can trust me; would I lie to you? 🙂
John McCain’s rescue of the US financial system would have been more impressive had he swooped down on Capitol Hill in a jetpack.
There was a very bizarre interview with him on Radio 4’s “PM” (a news magazine programme broadcast at 5:00 here), but the web version link probably isn’t available in the US. Poor guy was asked who he was more like, someone I’ve forgotten, or Buzz Lightyear. He went for Buzz Lightyear. “So would your motto be, ‘To infinity and beyond’?” “Yes, yes, eet ees a good motto, I sink.” Palinesque, but the reporter was an idiot, English wasn’t his first language, he’d just flown across the Channel, and he’s not running for President. He seemed like a very agreeable and obliging guy. I’m sure the adrenaline wears off, but until it does, I think you’d be anyone’s.
There’s better. “Visa” in Finland put on his “birdman” skydiving wing-suit, strapped model airplane jet engines to his boots, stuffed a hot-water bottle full of kerosene into his jumpsuit, and launched off a hot air balloon. Much more birdlike 🙂
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQ7zbta79vo
“I like to fly”…”Dis id vinland. Very rough country. I just saying, in dis vether if you land inna water you gonna die, they take you home in a rubber bag”
But think of the emissions!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jx3DtXyEqrE
For those worried about the Co2 emissions of the jet pack:
it’s worth remembering that someone has already pedalled the Channel.
They took 2 hours 29 minutes.
The Gossamer Albatross
No relation.
To quote SNL’s Seth Meyers regarding the jetpack,
“Someday everybody will die this way.”
This is not exactly recommended in our age of energy peakouts and environmental issues such as global warming.
There are a number of technologies which appear to have not entered the domain of practicality. Jet packs, hover cars, vacations on the moon and so forth appear to be related to tailfins on Cadillacs.
Lawrence B. Crowell
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