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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组织者本周二称,瑞士探险家伊夫•罗西身背喷气动力翼,成功飞越美国科罗拉多大峡谷。几天前,罗西曾因热身时间不够,取消了原定飞行计划。 伊夫•罗西的支持团队发表声明称,绰号“火箭人”的伊夫•罗西上周末完成了这次历时8分钟的飞行。上周五,他未能完成首次试飞,当时有媒体到场。 据公布的图片和视频展示,伊夫•罗西身背喷气动力翼跳出直升机机舱,之后飞越世界著名的科罗拉多大峡谷,随后打开降落伞降落到谷底。 声明称,伊夫•罗西的飞行最高时速为每小时190英里(合每小时304公里),飞行高度为峡谷上方200英尺(合65米)。 声明援引罗西的话说:“我在美国的首次飞行将终身铭记,不仅是因为峡谷的壮美,还是因为我飞过了印第安人的圣地。” 罗西在声明中说:“感谢大自然和瓦拉派部落,使我一生的梦想成真。”罗西飞过的领土正属于瓦拉派印第安部落。 在上周五,51岁的罗西邀请媒体前往大峡谷西端的一处较远的地点观看飞行。罗西曾飞越英法之间的英吉利海峡,以及瑞士阿尔卑斯山。 但在最后关头,他却宣布自己刚刚接到美国联邦航空管理局的批准,没有足够的时间热身。 本周二,罗西飞行活动的组织者强调指出,上周五未能完成飞行是因为美国联邦航空管理局没有按时批准,并补充称罗西在周末成功完成了飞行,并未通知参加上周五试飞的记者。 他说:“这一天是他命中注定的。极其复杂的飞行证明程序最终没能阻止罗西在上周末历史性地飞越了大峡谷西缘。” 相关阅读 (中国日报网英语点津 Julie 编辑: 冯明惠) |
Vocabulary: Mother Nature: 大自然,自然界 |