Rocketman Crosses Colorado Gorge 71
nandemoari writes "Remember the 1991 film, 'The Rocketeer,' where a young pilot uses a jetpack prototype to become a masked vigilante and win the heart of Jennifer Connelly? That scenario isn't as far-fetched as it once was, given that an American stuntman recently used a jetpack to soar over Colorado's Royal Gorge. The stuntman in question is one Eric Scott, who recently appeared on CBS' Early Show and a variety of local cable channels after making his daring leap. Scott has been testing jetpack devices for 16 years, and was confident that he wouldn't plummet to his untimely death when he straddled the Gorge above the Arkansas River earlier this week. Despite an enormous gulf between the two sides — 1,500 feet across and 1,000 feet down — Scott made the trip safely."
Re:hydrogen peroxide? (Score:3, Insightful)
Good old catalytic decomposition, I would guess. Simple and reliable, like the hydrazine RCS thrusters on spacecrafts.
Re:No parachute (Score:4, Insightful)
So presumably that's where the helmet might come in handy.
Maybe he's confident of not making a big mistake, but not so confident he won't make a small slip up on landing.
Re:hydrogen peroxide? (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:average speed of 180mph!! (Score:4, Insightful)
Google says [google.com] you got it wrong too.
Silly Americans, switch to metric already :D
Eric Scott != Rocketman (Score:4, Insightful)
Eric's a fine stunt specialist with a lot of experience and his jetpack work goes way beyond regular stunt work. But there is a stuntman who rightfully earned and uses the name "Rocketman", and it's not Eric Scott. The real Rocketman built many stunt devices, including Evel Knievel's. He also headed the team to build and fly the first amateur rocket to cross the internationally accepted altitude defining "space". Of course he's not going to fault Eric for the press's inevitable use of the name "Rocketman" -- they do it every chance they get. But these other guys get called that and then that name forgotten. But Ky Michaelson http://www.the-rocketman.com/rocketmanhist.html [the-rocketman.com] remains THE Rocketman.
I'd just like to know (Score:2, Insightful)