Avian.com.au

Yves Rossy, better known as the ‘Jetman,’ failed in his first attempt to make an intercontinental flight between Europe and Africa. After launching over Morocco, Rossy was heading for Spain over the Strait of Gibraltar when he disappeared from view on the live TV broadcast. Several minutes later the cameras found him swimming in the Atlantic with his parachute.

Rossy has made several successful flights with his jet-powered wing which attaches like a backpack. Last year he crossed the English Channel and he has also made numerous flights in the Alps.

At a press conference in Spain after the ditching, Rossy thanked his rescuers according to Sky News. It is unclear exactly what led to the ditching, though Rossy said he had attempted to fly over a cloud that was bigger than he expected and ended up going too slow. He ended up flying into the cloud and said he felt he was stabilized at one point despite not having a horizon reference.
As an experienced airline pilot, Rossy knows the difference between flying by visual references and flying by reference to instruments. Flying by instrument reference is normal while flying in the clouds in an aircraft.

Flying his jet wing, Rossy does not have adequate reference instruments. A lack of either a reference horizon can cause pilots to lose control of their aircraft because of spatial disorientation. In the news conference he says while in the cloud he began to lose stability, but did believe he was able to regain a stable climb. A short time later he says he was once again unstable and his altimeter told him he was at only 850 meters (2789 feet) elevation.

“And unstable at this height, that’s not playing anymore, so I did throw away my wing and open the parachute.”

The Spanish Coast Guard is expected to recover the wing from the Atlantic and Rossy’s team has said he will make another attempt at the transcontinental flight.

Photos of Rossy testing his jet wing (above) and parachute (below):  jet-man.com

Video capture of Rossy in Atlantic: Sky News

 

Shannon Deery with AAP – From: Herald Sun

A MAN has plunged to his death in a gliding accident in northern Victoria.

The glider was flying at Wahring near Nagambie when the accident occurred about 1.45pm.

Ambulance Victoria spokesman John Mullen said it was unclear whether the glider crashed during take off or landing.

“It’s (the glider) hit the ground pretty hard,” he said.

“Paramedics confirmed that he was deceased at the scene.”

Police were on site but had yet to release further details.

From:
Cairns Hang Gliding Club
PO Box 6468, Cairns QLD 4870
Email: flying@cairnshangglidingclub.org

Thanks,

 

Organisers of the Forbes Flatlands Hang-gliding Championships say the sport is getting safer, despite two deaths at the event in the past three years.

Stephen Elliot, 48, died after crashing while launching on the first day of competition last week.

Fellow competitors voted to have a rest day on Friday so about 30 people could attend his funeral in Sydney.

Championship organiser Vicki Cain says he was an experienced pilot.

“You just try to learn from the mistakes and hang-gliding in itself is getting safer and safer,” she said.

“We have better equipment for weather forecasting and the equipment’s just getting better and better.

“We hope to have less and less accidents, but … now and then you do have one of those unfortunate accidents.”

Blay Olmos Junior from Spain went on to win the nine-day championship that wrapped up last night.

Defending champion Jon Durand Junior came second and current world champion Attila Bertok third.

Ms Cain says next year’s event will be expanded if Forbes wins a bid to host the 2010 world championships.

“We’re putting a bid to actually hold a 12-day comp starting a little bit later,” she said.

“We were hoping that we could maybe hold the opening ceremony on Australia Day and so that we could involve the community more.

“We have to present the bid at the civil meeting in February in Innsbrook [Austria] and then we’ll probably find out a couple of weeks after that.”