One step closer to autonomous human flight: Jetman flies 1,800m above Dubai

Credit: Dubai Tourism
Credit: Dubai Tourism   -  Copyright 
By Evan Bourke

Vince Reffet took to the skies equipped with a carbon fibre wing powered by four mini-jet engines. The Jetwing is controlled solely by the human body.

Have you ever wanted to fly like Ironman? Well, it looks like Jetman Dubai has brought us one step closer to this being a reality. Pilot Vince Reffet took to the skies equipped with carbon fibre wings powered by four mini-jet engines. The Jetwing is controlled solely by the human body, without the aid of any electronic stabilisation systems,

From a standing position at Skydive Dubai, Reffet soared to an altitude of 1,000 metres within 30 seconds, reaching speeds of up to 400 Km/h. The Jetwing has the ability to climb to 6,100 metres, however, there is a limit as to how high the human body can fly autonomously.

The native French man was not alone in this milestone flight. His team from Jetman Dubai have been working closely with EXPO2020 Dubai to achieve 100 per cent autonomous human flight. This means a take-off from the ground and transitioning into a high-altitude flight.

Shortly after his landing, Vince Reffet said: “We are so happy we achieved this incredible flight. It’s the result of extremely thorough teamwork, where each small step generated huge results. Everything was planned to the split second, and I was overjoyed by the progress that was achieved. It is another step in a long-term project. One of the next objectives is to land back on the ground after a flight at altitude, without needing to open a parachute. It’s being worked on.”

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