If you’re going to watch a man fly passed you with a rocket on his back, you might want to go to a mountain top about 2,000 meters high. You’ll probably need a helicopter to get there. Dozens of journalists were there, Ives Rossy’s sponsors, even his mother. Everyone waited with anticipation, Rossy an Airbus airline pilot who had been working on a jet pack prototype was making his official debut as Fusionman.
He jumps from a plane at about 8,000 meters then kicks on his four engines and flies. He made three passes at about 300 km/h and even included a roll.
IVES ROSSY: It was really great fun and a great success.
That’s Rossy after the flight. He landed safely and was elated, much like his sponsor, Jean-Claude Biver. He’s the CEO of watchmaker HUBLOT.
JEAN-CLAUDE BIVER: I felt proud about him. I felt proud for him. I felt proud for his mother because  Iwas next to his mother. It is such an emotion.
This is real action and it goes in the direction of the dream. I love flying so it goes in the right direction of the dream.
Biver says he’s set to spend more than a million francs on the project. The wing itself cost about 80,000 francs. A one day demonstration on a mountaintop for all those journalists cost about 60,000 francs and how does Rossy pay the bills? Biver’s taken care of that. Rossy’s on the Hublot payroll.
So what’s next?
ROSSY: I would be happy that it becomes a sport. As I said before, like air jet ski. You see at the beginning the jet ski didn’t exist. Now around the planet there ar so many. I think it is for everybody…
ROSSY: …even my grandmother.
HELMICK: You say your grandmother? At 300 km/h? 3,000 meters high? On one of these, come on.

worldradio.ch