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Yves Rossy jetpacks into the sky to fly beside a B17 bomber

Yves Rossy jetpacks into the sky to fly beside a B17 bomber

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Swiss pilot Yves Rossy has been flying through the open air with nothing but a set of jet propelled wings since 2006, and now Americans are finally getting the chance to see him on their home turf. Rossy — who goes by the moniker Jetman — has taken his jet suit to Wisconsin this week for his first public performance in the US. His performances will run all week at Oshkosh's AirVenture air show, and in September, he'll take the suit for a second US flight over Nevada during the Reno Air Races.

As part of his first performance this week, Rossy cruised through the air alongside a B17 bomber. "It’s total freedom," Rossy told The Guardian. "You have almost no limits in the third dimension.” Though these are Rossy's first performances specifically for the US public, he has previously flown in the US. His first American flight was in 2011, when he took the suit out above the Grand Canyon.

"It's total freedom."

Rossy's initial jet suit was the result of 10 years of development and could only be flown for 10 minutes at a time. That time has increased thanks to improvements made during the years since, and a new suit is now in development that will allow for takeoff from the ground, rather than requiring the wearer to be dropped from high in the air. Even in his seventh year of flights, Rossy still finds the suit amazing: "That’s why we are living," Rossy said, describing his flight over Wisconsin, "to have these kind of emotions, these kind of moments of joy."