26 September 2008

London -- Swiss adventurer Yves Rossy will try to cross the English Channel using his homemade jet-propelled wing Friday, a day after the thrill-seeking pilot cancelled his attempt due to bad weather, organizers said.

Rossy plans to leap from plane more than 2,500 meters (8,800 feet; a mile and a half) off the ground, fire up his jets and try to make the 35-kilometer (22-mile) trip from Calais in France to Dover in England in about 12 minutes.

The stunt was postponed from its scheduled date Thursday when visibility deteriorated.

''It's not so safe to fly across water if you can't see,'' Rossy told National Geographic Channel in a live television interview Thursday. ''I don't have any instruments, and I need to be able to see the landing site.''

The trip across the Channel is meant to trace the route of French aviator Louis Bleriot, the first person to cross the narrow body of water in an airplane 99 years ago.

Rossy told reporters at a news conference Thursday that he was ready for another try.

''I'm not disappointed,'' Rossy said. ''If it was easy, everyone would do it. ... But I cannot control the weather.''

Photo: fernando - flickr.com

[AP / Expatica]