Breitling’s “Jetman” Soars Over Rio De Janerio

By Seth Semilof | May 4, 2012

Yves “Jetman” Rossy of the Breitling Jet team once again pushed the boundaries of aviation by completing an amazing flight above the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Jetman, who is the only man to fly with a rigid wing equipped with four jet engines, jumped out of a helicopter above the Rodrigo de Freitas Lake, before stabilizing the wing and heading full throttle north to fly around Corcovado Hill. He then tracked south of the city to fly alongside Ipanema Beach, Copacabana and the famous Sugar Loaf Mountain, before pulling his parachute and landing safely on the beach in front of the Copacabana Palace hotel.

The carbon-kevlar jetwing is equipped with four jet engines, each with a 22 kg thrust, thus propelling the Swiss aviator at a speed of 200-300 km/h which he controls via a simple hand-held throttle in his hand. To adjust his trajectory and his altitude, he relied exclusively on maneuvering his body, shoulders and legs.

The entire feat lasted 11 minutes 35 seconds in all, at an average altitude of 1200 meters, and no problems were reported before, during or after the flight. A former fighter pilot and current Swiss International Air Lines captain, Yves Rossy naturally ensured that all necessary safety measures were in place.