William Atkins
Wednesday, 26 November 2008 18:57
Science -
Energy
Page 1 of 2
Former television stuntman and Air Force para-rescuer Eric Scott wore a jet pack as he flew 1,500 feet (450 meters) across the 1,053-foot deep Royal Gorge on the Arkansas River. He set world records for distance and height.
On Monday, November 24, 2008, Scott put on his 135-pound (61-kilogram), 800-horsepower (600-kilowatt) jet back and flew for 21 seconds as he set world records for both altitude and distance.
The event was held near Cañon City, Colorado, a small city (about 16,000 residents) in the east-central part of the state that lies along the Arkansas River.
A video of the flight is shown on the CNET website “
Video: A jet-pack flight over a Colorado gorge.”
Before the flight a spectator stated,
"It's going to be sweet; it's going to be an epic ride," Another spectator said,
"I hope he survives.” [CNET]
The flight was part of the
Go Fast Royal Gorge Games, an annual event (September 25-28, 2008) consisting of base-jumping and bungee-jumping at the Royal Gorge Bridge.
Designed by Denver, Colorado-based Jet Pack International (
Jet P.I.), the jet pack peaked at a speed of about 75 miles (120 kilometers) per hour.
Page two talks about comments made by Scott after the ride was completed.
