Life imitates art – Jetman Dubai showed pilot Vince Reffet in a carbon-fiber suit to fly 6,000 feet above ground. In the company’s recent YouTube video, the Emirati Tony Stark reached 1000 meters in height in thirty seconds.
A video showed Reffet flying south toward Jumeirah Beach Residence in Dubai at an average speed of 130 knots. His flight lasted for about three minutes before opening his parachute at 1,500 meters to land safely on the ground.
This was the second time the pilot and his team flew over Dubai, with its May 2015 flight as the first. His fellow pilot Yves Rossy soared with a chase plane and a few GoPro cameras attached to their helmets.
The first video showed a breathtaking dive into a desert where the pair twisted and climbed through the Dubai sunset. Rossy and Reffet achieved a speed of more than 120 miles per hour.
Meanwhile, the recent video was the first to show transitioning from hovering at a limited altitude to lifting higher.
The upgraded equipment allowed the pilot to reach speeds of 400kmh in addition to hovering, changing direction, and performing loops.
This was close to Tony Stark’s stumble and take-off in the first Iron Man movie, where he learned to soar. Well, it’s a bit more similar in comparison to the Vulture’s suit in Spider-man: Homecoming.
Commenting on the company’s future plans, Reffet said there was much more to come. One of their objectives is to land safely back on the ground without a parachute.
To prepare for the flight, the pilot conducted at least 50 preparatory flights and practiced more than 100 takeoffs.
The British Iron Man Flew First
Despite its achievements, Jetman Dubai can’t take the credit of setting up the first Iron Man. Gravity CEO Richard Browning holds the Guinness World Record of taking the fastest flight in a jet suit.
Browning’s first 3D-printed suit was announced in the company’s first video of the suit uploaded back in 2017.
Daedalus Mark 1’s exoskeleton looked close to Iron Man’s best friend, Col. James Rhodes’ War Machine. Engineer and 3D-printing expert James Bruton configurated the black airsoft shoulder turret.
He made his first Guinness record with the speed of 32.02 mph taking place at Lagoona Park in Reading, UK.
The current suit is much more similar to its inspiration, with canisters attached on its forearms and calves.
Operating the suit took more than just the device. Browning claimed he had to practice core strength exercises prior to the attempt.
To perfect his record-breaking flight in both occasions, the British Iron Man kept himself in proper shape. He runs ultra-marathons, practices calisthenics and gymnastics he learned as a Royal Marine reserve.
He also cycles 120 kilometers a week as part of his commute in Wiltshire.
Jumpstarting the suit both in engineering and flight is close to how Iron Man does it himself, Browning said. He described Stark’s journey, including all crashes and bashing into his cars.
Although Browning took inspiration from the fictional hero, he commended its CGI animators for thinking big. “It was kind of a funny moment when we realized we should have just watched the film and done homework.”
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