Swiss 'rocketman' jumps off plane to cross Channel

DOVER, England - A Swiss adventurer has leaped from a small plane strapped to a homemade jet-propelled wing in an attempt to cross the English Channel. Yves Rossy jumped and fired up his jets to make the 35-kilometer (22-mile) trip from Calais in France to Dover in England Friday in about 12 minutes. The National Geographic Channel showed images of Rossy stepping from the plane just before 12:07 GMT. The trip across the Channel is meant to trace the route of French aviator Louis Bleriot, the first person to cross in an airplane 99 years ago. Rossy planned to land on a thin strip of land in front of South Foreland lighthouse atop the white cliffs of Dover. - AP