Some people go fishing on their day off. Yves Rossy likes to jump out of a small plane with a pair of jet-powered wings on his back and loop the loop above the Swiss Alps.
The self-built contraption took the former fighter pilot five years to build and perfect - and yesterday he gave it its maiden flight.
To infinity and beyond: Yves Rossy soars through the skies 
Dangerman: Yves Rossy had a pair of 8ft wings and a jet-pack strapped to his back for the daring flight over the Alps
Stepping out of an aircraft at 7,500ft, Rossy unfolded the 10ft rigid wings strapped to his back as he plummeted earthwards.
Passing from freefall into a gentle glide, he triggered the four jet turbines and accelerated to 190mph above the mountaintops.
Steering with his body, Rossy dived, turned and soared again, flying what appeared to be effortless loops from one side of the Rhone valley to the other.
Goodbye: The former pilot was launched from a plane at 8,000ft
At times he climbed 2,600ft before diving again, leaving a trail of special-effects smoke in his wake.
After one last wave to the watching crowd, Rossy dipped his wings as he prepared for the piece de resistance, a manoeuvre he hadn't tried before...He flipped onto his back and levelled out again, executing a perfect 360-degree roll that even a bird would find impossible.
"It's like a second skin," Rossy said later after landing on the shores of Lake Geneva.
"If I turn to the left, I fly left. If I nudge to the right, I go right."
With his first big test under his belt, Rossy, 48, is ready for bigger challenges: he plans to cross the English Channel later this year, before attempting to fly through the Grand Canyon.
To do this, he will have to fit more powerful jets to allow for greater manoeuvring.
The four Germanbuilt model aircraft engines he currently uses provide 200lb of thrust each, enough to enable the 110lb foldable carbon wings, and Rossy in his 120lb flying suit, to climb at 200ft a minute.
"Physically, it's absolutely no stress," Rossy said.
Super speeds: The dare-devil reached speeds of 160mph 
Scenery: Yves Rossy said he had no time to enjoy the view or scenery
"It's like being on a motorbike. But I have to focus on relaxing, because if I show any tension, I start to swing around."
Should things go wrong there's always a yellow handle to jettison the wings and unfold a back-up parachute.
"I've had plenty of "whoops" moments," he said.
Rossy says his form of human flight will, for now, remain the preserve of very few.
The cost and effort involved are simply too high for it to be produced commercially, he says.
So far, Rossy and his sponsors have poured more than £123,000 and countless hours into building the device.
But, he believes similar jet-powered wings will one day be more widely available to experienced parachutists.
That is, if they don't mind missing out on the breathtaking panorama unfolding above the Swiss Alps.
"I am concentrating so hard, I don't really enjoy the view," Rossy said.
Source: Daily Mail UK, May 15, 2008
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