'Human jet' delays English Channel flight

Swiss pilot Yves Rossy has been forced to postpone his attempt to cross the English Channel strapped to a homemade jet-propelled wing.

Yves Rossy is shown in flight last May over the Swiss Alps.

Poor weather conditions Thursday means he will try again Friday.

Rossy will leap from a plane more than 2,500 meters (2,700 yards) off the ground, fire up his jets and try to make the 35-kilometer (22-mile) from Calais in France to Dover in England in about 12 minutes, according to a statement put out by his organizers.

In his first public demonstration of the device in May, Rossy turned figure-eights high above the Alps, performing fluid loops from one side of the Rhone valley to the other.

Thursday's trip is meant to trace the route of French aviator Louis Bleriot, the first person to cross the Channel in an airplane 99 years ago. Rossy has told The AP he one day hopes to fly through the Grand Canyon.

The carbon composite-wing weighs about 55 kilograms (121 pounds) when loaded with fuel, and carries four kerosene-burning jet turbines to keep him aloft. The wing has no steering devices -- Rossy moves his body to control its movements.  Watch more on 'Human Jet' »

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