Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Swiss `Fusionman` takes to the skies

Bex, Switzerland (ANTARA News/afp) - Icarus crashed and burned when he flew too close to the sun but a modern-day Swiss adventurer had a happier landing Wednesday when testing his new jet-powered "wing".

Yves Rossy, the self-styled "Fusionman", leapt into the skies 2,500 metres (8,200 feet) above the small town of Bex in western Switzerland clad in his new carbon wing, with which he performed various manoeuvres for five minutes before landing with the aid of a parachute.

His "wing" is 2.5 metres in diameter and comes with four tiny jets, which are actually lit inside the plane just before he jumps.

Once in full flight, Rossy can reach speeds of up to 300 kilometres per hour (186 mph), but he can only stay in the air for a maximum of ten minutes due to the small fuel capacity of his jets.

Rossy, a 48-year-old former air force pilot who now works for the airline Swiss, first unveiled his design in 2004.

It hasn't always been an easy ride though -- during one jump in 2005, he lost control of his wing and didn't open his parachute until he was just 500 metres above ground. (*)