Yves Rossy attempts to become first human jet to cross the Channel

With a roar and a whoosh, a Swiss airline pilot is due to zoom over the White Cliffs of Dover and land in the history books at lunchtime today.

Yves Rossy, 49, will not be flying the Airbus aircraft he usually commands. Instead, he will be wearing a wing with four motors on his back in his attempt to become the first human jet to fly the Channel.



Mr Rossy, who calls himself Fusionman, plans to drop out of an aircraft high above Calais, ignite his jet engines and, using his body to steer like a bird, rocket across the Channel at speeds of up to 115mph (185km/h), hopefully reaching Dover in about 13 minutes.

Mr Rossy, who is following the flightpath of Louis Blériot, who piloted the first aircraft across the Channel in 1909, has spent eight years designing and testing his jetpack. He made history in 2006 when he became the first powered “birdman” and last month he successfully completed a 24-mile (38.6km) flight over the Alps — preparation enough to get him over the Channel, he hopes. The Channel is 21 miles wide at its narrowest point.