Graphic: Flying with Fusionman | Bremner: my day with Rossy

The Swiss bird-man attempting an historic bid to jet across the Channel remained grounded today as low cloud made him look more like a turkey than an eagle.

Yves Rossy, who had hoped to be the first person to fly from Calais to Dover using a jet-powered carbon-fibre wing, said that it would be too risky to attempt to navigate through cloud.

"The visibility is not so good that I can see," he said.

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"In these conditions it is too dangerous. I have only one life and I don't want to lose it. I follow my little bees in my body and say no."

The announcement followed a sudden chill in the air as dark clouds gathered over the Channel, prompting a collective groan from scores of local dignataries and assembled journalists.

Mr Rossy called off his flight minutes before he was due to depart when his lookout in Dover told him that "something black is coming".

He decided that the dark clouds passing overhead meant that he was in danger of getting lost over the Channel and being forced to ditch in cold water without a wetsuit to protect him.

He will decide at 6pm today whether the weather forecast is good enough to make an attempt tomorrow. The outlook is promising, he said. He is also prepared to wait until Saturday or Sunday, but he must return to work on Monday to fly SWISS passengers to Egypt.

The pilot said that he aborted as his wings were being filled with fuel. "The risk is that I lose navigation, because I navigate only with my eyes and the sun. If I have a problem suddenly I'm alone somewhere in the cloud. I'm not disappointed. I would be disappointed to be in the water now and (find) tomorrow it is perfect blue sky."

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