Man Crosses Gorge With Jet Pack

November 29, 2008 — It’s a record, and it only took about 22 seconds to set it. On November 24, Eric Scott used a jet pack to fly across the 1,500-foot wide and 1,053-foot deep Royal Gorge in Colorado, traveling at about 75 mph. "This is a new jet pack record," Scott told KOAA-5 after landing on-target, despite a last-minute crosswind gust. "The height, 1,053 feet off the floor. 1500 feet across. That is a world record." Scott, 45, made the journey with no parachute or safety net. He had only 33 seconds worth of fuel on his back. “I can tell you, concrete never felt so good,” he said after a gentle, stand-up landing. “I had no idea how fast I could get here, and I just found out.” Scott had previously flown the JetPack International system but never for more than a few hundred yards. He has been piloting various forms of jetpacks for 16 years. The Jet Pack, developed to be used for stunts and promotional events, weighs about 135 pounds. Troy Widgery, founder of the company, Go Fast Sports & Beverages, that sponsors the Jet Pack, told the Denver Post that by sometime next year he expects to release a more user-friendly pack with three turbine jets that can fly for nine minutes. "What's next? A bigger canyon. The Grand Canyon," Widgery said. The jet pack, which was also featured last year on "Monday Night Football," is based on one developed in the 1960s by Bell Aerosystems for the military. Click here to watch the Denver Post video of Scott crossing the gorge.

Eric Scott used a jet pack to cross the 1,500-foot wide Royal Gorge. Photo credit: Helen H. Richardson, The Denver Post

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