Yves Rossy (Jetman) Biography
With his head in the clouds and his feet on the ground, Yves Rossy (Jetman) is a unique and inspirational after dinner speaker. Flying under a jet wing is the culmination of a 30 year career interspersed with sensational exploits.
Background and career
Yves Rossy was born in Switzerland in 1959. After a technical apprenticeship and an engineering degree, he discovered the Mirage III supersonic fighter plane - a high point of his career. He flew the aircraft for 17 years while at the same time piloting historic aircraft such as the Hunter and the Venom, one of England’s earliest jet fighters.
Today retired from the Air Force, he continues to fly the Hunter two-seater owned by the Amici dell’ Hunter association. Currently on sabbatical leave (Swiss International Air Lines pilot), he devotes all his free time to his passion.
Treading the beaten track is something for others to do; for Yves Rossy, it’s not an option. He wants to fly like a bird, with a minimum of instruments but with the power to steer himself in space. The idea came to him to power a wing using scaled down jet engines.
It was in March 2003 that the first jet engine was ignited at altitude, on the Allalin glacier in Saas Fee, then on board an aircraft. The German company Jet-Cat supplied the engines which were initially attached to an inflatable wing. This method failed because of insufficient rigidity. In 2004 Yves Rossy developed a rigid deployable carbon-kevlar wing manufactured by ACT Composites. The early days were difficult.
At the Al-Aïn air show – probably the world’s largest event of its kind – he went into a spin, released the wing which tore its parachute. The craft was partially destroyed. The pilot worked on improving the wing deployment system and the aerodynamics of the wing tips to improve its stability. In 2005, he completed two successful flights under a wing fitted with two jet engines. A month later, he risked death again as uncontrollable oscillations forced him to release the wing which crashed to the ground. A long year of hard work and the addition of two additional jet engines were needed for the wing to attain the required level of performance and safety. This was the flight of November 2006, in Bex, a awoken dream lasting 5 minutes and 40 seconds.
Since then, Yves Rossy has been training constantly in order to optimise his wing. In April 2007, during a test flight, Yves was again forced to jettison his prototype. Seriously damaged, the wing took several months to repair. Yves Rossy then decided to build a new, more reliable and efficient prototype. Since 2008, his wings have been perfected further to enhance his flying enjoyment.
On September 26th , 2008, Yves became the first man to fly across the English Channel from Calais, France to Dover, UK, using a homemade jet-powered wing. He covered a distance of 35 kilometres in 13 minutes.
On July 2nd , 2010, Yves has realized his first flight in formation with two other aircraft. He jumped out of a Pilatus PC-6 at an altitude of 2'500 meters, and came close to the 2 Boeing Stearmans of the Breitling Wingwalkers team.
Two years after crossing the Channel, the technological evolutions of his wing allowed Jetman to perform his first aerobatics in the air. On November 5th, 2010, Jetman accomplished his first looping in front of a hot-air balloon.
Speaking Topics
Yves Rossy (Jetman) is the first man in the world to attach jet engines to a single wing and fly like Icarus. He is a unique after dinner speaker.
- Motivation
- Science and technology
For further information or to book Jetman, call us on +44 (0) 20 8365 3200 or email info@speakerscorner.co.uk
Yves Rossy (Jetman) News
A selection of relevant news related to Yves Rossy (Jetman), After Dinner Speakers, Keynote Speakers and Motivational Speakers, Adventure Speakers, International Speakers, Peak Performance, Sport Speakers and Technology Speakers stories. For more information on Yves Rossy (Jetman) or details as to how to book Yves Rossy (Jetman) for your corporate event, please contact one of the Speakers Corner booking agents on +44 (0)20 7607 7070 or email info@speakerscorner.co.uk
Jetman Flies Over Rio With Jetpack
7th May 2012
A man using a winged jetpack completed an 11 minute flight over the iconic skyline of Rio de Janeiro.
Rasmus Ankersen Believes Scottish Football Can Improve
8th April 2013
Keynote speaker and talent coach, Rasmus Ankersen believes that Scotland has talent but has not yet been able to develop it further.
Debra Searle's Ice Mums
5th February 2013
Motivational speaker and awe-inspiring sportswoman Debra Searle has announced plan to take a group of mums trekking to the South Pole.
Dee Caffari Sails In Middle East
1st February 2013
Inspirational yachtswoman Dee Caffari has taken her success to the Middle East in the impressive position of coach and skipper of the Women's Sailing Team in Oman.
CBC’s 12 Most Influential People of 2012
24th December 2012
CBC News has released its list of the 12 most influential people of 2012, including politicians, activists and the South Korean singer who has recently taken the world by storm.
Conrad Humphreys ‘Addicted’ to the Natural Environment
5th August 2012
Triple round-the-world yachtsman, entrepreneur and motivational speaker Conrad Humphreys claims that the natural environment can be highly addictive. “Personally, I can testify to an almost insatiable appetite for spending time on the ocean,” he writes in his blog.
Innovative Speakers Gather at TED 2012
28th June 2012
California is once again the sunny location for TED, the most innovative and exciting conference on the planet, where speakers with ‘ideas worth spreading’ gather to share their thoughts on technology, design, science, media, politics, the arts, and other insights on how to shape a better word.
Ben Fogle Announces New Ocean Challenge
19th June 2012
TV adventurer Ben Fogle is taking on his most punishing challenge yet - by swimming to Cornwall across the Atlantic Ocean.
Daredevil Climber Alain Robert Sets Record on Qatar Tower
19th April 2012
Inspirational speaker and daredevil Alain Robert has scaled 300m up The Torch hotel in Doha claiming to have set a new Guinness World Record.
US Olympic Swimmer Amanda Beard Releases Memoir
9th April 2012
Gold Medalist Amanda Beard shares her story about growing up in the Olympic spotlight in her brand new memoir, In the Water They Can't See You Cry.
For further information or to book Yves Rossy (Jetman), call us on +44 (0)20 7607 7070 or email info@speakerscorner.co.uk
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