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Blog: 'Jetman' to fly over Hualapai portion of Grand Canyon





"If the red rock splendor of the Grand Canyon alone isn't enough to knock your socks off, you might want to high-tail it over there at 10 a.m. May 6 when Yves Rossy -- aka JetMan -- straps on a wing powered by four jet engines and jumps out of a helicopter for his own bird's-eye flyover of the rugged chasm.

The Swiss pilot/aviator/engineer has performed similar daredevil feats, flying across the English Channel in 2008 and jumping from a balloon at 7,200 feet last year to execute looping maneuvers over Denezy, Switzerland. But this marks his first venture into U.S. airspace.

Negotiations with the Hualapai Indian tribe, whose million-acre reservation includes a western branch of the Grand Canyon (about 2 1/2 hours southeast of Las Vegas) have been underway for two years, says a marketing director for luxury Swiss watchmaker Breitling, JetMan's corporate sponsor. Local FAA officials also have given the stunt their blessing, she said."

Get the Story:
Destinations Blog: It's not a bird. It's not a plane. It's JetMan in a Grand Canyon flyover! (USA Today 5/2)

Related Stories:
NYT story about Hualapai Tribe among the most popular (4/25)
Operator of Grand Canyon Skywalk battles Hualapai Tribe (4/14)

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