Yves 'Jetman' Rossy  Soars Over Rio De Janeiro Like A Bird!

A year after Yves 'Jetman' Rossy stunned the world by flying over the Grand Canyon using just his wings, he has done it again - This time, with a flight over the Brazil's second largest city, Rio de Janeiro.

The 52-year-old Swiss adventurer strapped on his world famous jet-propelled wings in the wee hours on Thursday May 3rd, 2012 and hopped onto a helicopter that transported him to a safe height above Rio's Rodrigo de Freitas Lake. Once there, he backflipped off, opened his wings and soared around the picturesque city's iconic attractions for about 11 minutes, before releasing his parachute and landing smoothly onto the white sands of the Copacabana beach.

This is not the first time Yves has vowed the world with his flying - In addition to the Grand Canyon, the former fighter pilot has also flown over the Swiss Alps, between two airborne planes and in 2009, even tried to fly over the Strait of Gibraltar - An attempt that failed due to bad weather conditions and a technical problem with his wings.

These incredible flights are possible thanks to the wings that Rossy has been developing and perfecting for the last 15 years. While he initially flew with inflatable wings, this latest version that has a wingspan of about 8-feet, are made from airplane-type carbon fiber and have even been certified as legitimate aircraft, by the US Federal Aviation Authority.

Powered by four Jet-Cat P200 kerosene-burning engines, similar to the ones in model airplanes, they allow the Jetman to attain speeds of up to 189 miles per hour. The wings, which fold at the hinges, open up as Rossy jumps from the plane. He then uses his body and a hand throttle to maneuver his flight.

With so many unconquered skies still left for Rossy to soar over, nobody knows where he will end up next - So be sure, to keep an eye out for him!

Resources: nationalpost.com,csmonitor.com