Up, Up And Away … To A World Record

"Man, My Hands Were Just Trembling," Stuntman Tells CBS' The Early Show

(CBS)  It's the stuff of science fiction and James Bond. Strap a jet pack to your back and fly like a bird - sort of. But jet packs are science fiction no more.

It's 1,500 feet across from cliff to cliff, and more than a 1,000 chilling feet down to the bottom of the Royal Gorge, bisected the Arkansas River near Canon City, Colo.

"You're going to see me on the other side," Scott said. "This isn't an 'Evel-Knievel, get-a-lot-of-media-out-and-just-screw-it-up' gig, you know," stuntman Eric Scott told CBS station KCNC-TV correspondent Rick Sallinger prior to the flight.

And for good measure, Scott was not using a parachute.

"It's going to be sweet, it's going to be an epic ride," said one spectator.

"I hope he survives," said another.

The former Air Force para-rescuer uses hydrogen peroxide-filled tanks to create a propellant of steam. Scott claims to have made several hundred successful launches.

With spectators watching heart in hand, Scott ascended - and 21 seconds of suspense later - was back standing on terra firma, on the other side of the gorge.

"Concrete never felt so good," he said.

Appearing on CBS' The Early Show, Scott said he had been making jet pack flights for 16 years, and decided to make the attempt at this year's Go Fast Games, an annual weekend of base jumping and bungee jumping at the Royal Gorge Bridge.

Scott told co-anchor Harry Smith that the jet pack only has enough fuel for a 30-second flight, and that he expected the flight from one side of the gorge to the others to take from 25 to 29 seconds.

"Boy, if it had been 29," quipped Smith.

"I would have been right," Scott gamely replied.

And he really never thought of taking a parachute?

"People kept saying if you want to put a parachute on it, that's fine," Scott said. "It works beautifully every time - 800 flights, the machine has never failed on me."

What was he thinking halfway through, on a picture-perfect day, a 1,000 feet above the Arkansas River?

"I'm picking up enough, I think I'm going to get over there."

And once he landed?

"Man, my hands were just trembling. When I approached the far west of the canyon I overcorrected. Well, I saw that inflatable Go Fast banner; I thought, I can bounce off that if anything goes wrong."

[txgrouch2007]

Evel Knievel broke a bone in his coffin as a tribute to this stuntman.

[robt555]

Leave it to AF Para Rescue; the absolute best of the special forces.

[txgrouch2007]

But still - at 1,000 feet with no parachute....?

There''s a fine line between boldness and insanity.

That sounds like a commercial for Go Fast - with Go Fast, that line is just a blur! Drink Go Fast and GO FAAAAAAST!!!

[W.W. Terry]

Wow! My hat is off to Scott. Wish I had the opportunity and the money to do that. I''ve done some extreme things in my life but never that extreme. May your good luck always stay with you. Caio! wwterry

[centerfall94]

He gambled and won. So many deserve life and die. So many deserve death and live. There is no justice, but this guy is living proof that there is stupidity.

[au_fait]

Why is this news, jet packs have been around for what 40+ years. They are not practicle as they have never been able to store a practical amount of fuel. This guy is taking technology from 40 years ago and using. Woo hoo, whatever!

[ibzjem]

Why is this news, jet packs have been around for what 40+ years. They are not practicle as they have never been able to store a practical amount of fuel. This guy is taking technology from 40 years ago and using. Woo hoo, whatever!

Posted by au_fait at 12:37 PM : Nov 25, 2008
--

besides the cost and fuel, what makes this impractical is you basically have to be a pilot to fly the thing. Can you imagine Joe Smoe flying one of these to work? How ''bout 100 Million Joe Smoes on their cell phones trying to fly around to get to work or the mall. People would be dropping from the skies like swatted flies. LOL!!

[pat1967-2009]

He gambled and won. So many deserve life and die. So many deserve death and live. There is no justice, but this guy is living proof that there is stupidity.


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Posted by Centerfall94 at 12:18 PM : Nov 25, 2008

No stupidity involved. This technology is over 40 years old and this guy is highly trained on the operation of the jet-pack. There is not that much to go wrong with this thing unless you run it out of fuel or come in too fast.

[pat1967-2009]

besides the cost and fuel, what makes this impractical is you basically have to be a pilot to fly the thing. Can you imagine Joe Smoe flying one of these to work? How ''''bout 100 Million Joe Smoes on their cell phones trying to fly around to get to work or the mall. People would be dropping from the skies like swatted flies. LOL!!


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Posted by ibzjem at 12:44 PM : Nov 25, 2008

Well, with this type of jet-pack, unless you live 30 seconds away from said destination it becomes an impractical mode of transportation. The turbo-jet form of the jet-pack is much more useful but more complex and costly. These have a potential flight time of several minutes.

But still - at 1,000 feet with no parachute....?

There''''s a fine line between boldness and insanity.

That sounds like a commercial for Go Fast - with Go Fast, that line is just a blur! Drink Go Fast and GO FAAAAAAST!!!

Posted by txgrouch2007 at 10:31 AM : Nov 25, 2008


A parachute would have only been useful for part of the flight.

[txgrouch2007]

A parachute would have only been useful for part of the flight.
Posted by ge556 at 01:15 PM : Nov 25, 2008

Yah - the part where HE NEEDED IT THE MOST!

Let''s suspend YOU 1,000 feet off the ground, then let you decide a parachute is optional.

I DON''T THINK SO! LOL!

[txgrouch2007]

There is not that much to go wrong with this thing unless you run it out of fuel or come in too fast.
Posted by pat1967 at 12:44 PM : Nov 25, 2008

LOL! Let me guess - you''re an aerospace manager. Possibly the one who gave the go-ahead to launch the Challenger on its last flight...

"So what if it''s cold? Those solid fuel rockets heat right up. And they''re so simple, what could POSSIBLY go wrong...?"

Famous last words.

[mecury69]

To all you who judge this guy who had the guts to go after and do something he believed in....

have a warm glass of milk, curl up in your warm, safe bed and suck your thumb until mommy kisses you good night.

[pat1967-2009]

LOL! Let me guess - you''''re an aerospace manager. Possibly the one who gave the go-ahead to launch the Challenger on its last flight...

"So what if it''''s cold? Those solid fuel rockets heat right up. And they''''re so simple, what could POSSIBLY go wrong...?"

Famous last words.



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Posted by txgrouch2007 at 01:57 PM : Nov 25, 2008

Simplicity is a relative term. When compared to their turbine powered relatives, the H2O2 gas generator is very simple and robust.

As to the Challenger Disaster, I was on lunch break from Nuclear Power School in Orlando at the time of the launch. I saw the explosion of the H2 fuel tank first hand from that far away. As a past submariner and current licensed engineer, I am well aware of the danger of being dismissive when it comes to safety. However, unless he had the pilot chute in hand at the time of failure, the chute most likely would not deploy in time to slow him down enough to prevent his injury or death.

[skarrzpapi]

Good for you Jet-Pack Man!!! we should all be that brave to try new things and nor rest on our laurels or anything else for that matter!!! I mean..in a 100 years we''ll all be dead!!! Live while you can shoppers!!!

[au_fait]

To all you who judge this guy who had the guts to go after and do something he believed in....
have a warm glass of milk, curl up in your warm, safe bed and suck your thumb until mommy kisses you good night.

Posted by mecury69

I am more than happy to see people chase a dream, I don''t fault him for that. I fault the media for making this newsworthy. This is not the first time a jet pack is used by private citizens. There have been airshows where a private person used a jet pack as part of an event.

[puzzler125]

Subjects we need to see news about: Obama, Bush, war in Iraq, kittens doing cute things, celebrities doing dumb stuff, the economy, GM, turkeys getting saved, Sarah Palin and her family, the first snowfall, etc...in other words? We do need to have the ability to see it ALL and can choose what we read. Isn''t it great living in a free country? : ) Happy Thanksgiving!

[chloemontague]

The GM genocide: Thousands of Indian farmers are committing suicide after using genetically modified crops.

When Prince Charles claimed thousands of Indian farmers were killing themselves after using GM crops, he was branded a scaremonger. In fact, as this chilling dispatch reveals, it''s even WORSE than he feared.''

This can happen to USA, Canada, UK, Australia, South Africa, NZ etc ---------------GM SEED USE MUST BE STOPPED.---------------------

Indian Ministry of Agriculture..confirms ..a HUGE HUMANITARIAN CRISIS, more than 1,000 farmers kill themselves each month!!!!!!!!

Prince Charles is setting up a charity, the Bhumi Vardaan Foundation, to help those affected and promote organic Indian crops instead of GM. India''s farmers are also starting to fight back. As well as taking GM seed distributors hostage and staging mass protests, one state government is taking legal action against Monsanto for the exorbitant costs of GM seeds.

PLEASE READ and Tell Friends and Family- http://tinyurl.com/6ehp3z

[downsteamjim]

ChloeMont: If the guy with the rocket pack had not landed on the Wicked Witch of the West, these farmers would not have to have died.