In this photo provided by Breitling, Swiss adventurer Yves Rossy is seen during his flight over the Grand Canyon in Arizona on Saturday, May 7, 2011, inhis custom-built jet suit.(Agencies) |
A Swiss adventurer has finally made a "historic" jetpack-powered flight above the Grand Canyon, organizers claimed Tuesday, days after he canceled a bid saying he had not trained enough. Yves Rossy, dubbed "JetMan," completed the eight-minute flight at the weekend, his support team said in a press release four days after Friday's failed attempt, which journalists had been invited to watch. Pictures and videos released by organizers showed him being dropped from a helicopter and then soaring above the world-famous landmark, his jet-pack wing strapped to his back, before deploying a parachute to land on the canyon floor. He flew at speeds of up to 190 mph (304 kilometers an hour), skimming the rockscape just 200 feet (65 meters) above the rim of the canyon, the statement said. "My first flight in the US is sure to be one of the most memorable experiences in my life, not only for the sheer beauty of the Grand Canyon but the honor to fly in sacred Native American lands," Rossy was quoted as saying. "Thank you Mother Nature and the Hualapai Tribe for making my lifelong dreams come true," he said according to the press release, referring to the Native American tribe over whose territory he made the flight. On Friday the 51-year-old -- who has previously flown across the English Channel between Britain and France and over the Swiss Alps -- invited media to a remote spot on the Grand Canyon's western end to watch his flight. But at the last minute he announced he had only just been given formal Federation Aviation Authority (FAA) approval to fly, and had therefore not had enough time to train. On Tuesday Rossy's organizers stressed that the FAA delay had prevented him from flying last Friday, adding that he had made the successful flight over the weekend, without announcing it to journalists who attended Friday's attempt. "It was his date with destiny, and ultimately the uniquely complex certification process could not prevent (Rossy) from making his historic flight through Grand Canyon West this past weekend." (Read by Nelly Min. Nelly Min is a journalist at the China Daily Website.) (Agencies)
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組織者本周二稱,瑞士探險家伊夫?羅西身背噴氣動力翼,成功飛越美國科羅拉多大峽谷。幾天前,羅西曾因熱身時間不夠,取消了原定飛行計劃。 伊夫?羅西的支持團隊發表聲明稱,綽號“火箭人”的伊夫?羅西上周末完成了這次歷時8分鐘的飛行。上周五,他未能完成首次試飛,當時有媒體到場。 據公布的圖片和視頻展示,伊夫?羅西身背噴氣動力翼跳出直升機機艙,之后飛越世界著名的科羅拉多大峽谷,隨后打開降落傘降落到谷底。 聲明稱,伊夫?羅西的飛行最高時速為每小時190英里(合每小時304公里),飛行高度為峽谷上方200英尺(合65米)。 聲明援引羅西的話說:“我在美國的首次飛行將終身銘記,不僅是因為峽谷的壯美,還是因為我飛過了印第安人的圣地。” 羅西在聲明中說:“感謝大自然和瓦拉派部落,使我一生的夢想成真?!绷_西飛過的領土正屬于瓦拉派印第安部落。 在上周五,51歲的羅西邀請媒體前往大峽谷西端的一處較遠的地點觀看飛行。羅西曾飛越英法之間的英吉利海峽,以及瑞士阿爾卑斯山。 但在最后關頭,他卻宣布自己剛剛接到美國聯邦航空管理局的批準,沒有足夠的時間熱身。 本周二,羅西飛行活動的組織者強調指出,上周五未能完成飛行是因為美國聯邦航空管理局沒有按時批準,并補充稱羅西在周末成功完成了飛行,并未通知參加上周五試飛的記者。 他說:“這一天是他命中注定的。極其復雜的飛行證明程序最終沒能阻止羅西在上周末歷史性地飛越了大峽谷西緣?!?/p> 相關閱讀 (中國日報網英語點津 Julie 編輯: 馮明惠) |
Vocabulary: Mother Nature: 大自然,自然界 |