Yves Rossy, popularly known as "Jetman," flew the skies of Dubai Monday, not on a plane or a helicopter but with a jetpack strapped to his back.
But, unlike his first Dubai flight in December, he didn't fly alone this time; he flew with a protégé, BASE jumper and skydiver Vince Reffet. The two jetpack fliers zoomed above the emirate capital, displaying amazing maneuvers and formations that would make people wonder if Iron Man and the Iron Patriot were real.
Jetman Dubai has arrived. The feat was captured in video footages from cameras attached to Rossy and Reffet and cameras from a chase plane.
Rossy, who used to fly fighter planes in the Swiss Air Force, invented the jetpack, which is actually a wing suit system powered by four Jet-Cat P200 jet engines. The suit's wings span more than 2 meters and are made up of carbon fiber.
Over the years, Rossy has made 15 jetpack prototypes. The one he and Reffet used recently weighs 50 kilograms and can go as fast as 200 kilometers per hour. It is the product of more than 20 years of innovation in his effort to be able to fly freely in the skies.
Rossy is the first person in the world to fly such a machine, earning him the nickname "Jetman." His new skydiver protégé Reffet is the second man to have flown in a jetpack.
Aside from the stunts he recently pulled in Dubai, Rossy has done a number of other noteworthy flights. In 2008, he successfully flew across the Swiss Alps with a speed reaching as fast as 300 kilometers per hour.
In 2010, he jumped from a hot air balloon and wowed viewers with two beautifully executed aerial loops. In 2011, he flew across the Grand Canyon. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration gave him a license classifying his wing suit as an aircraft.
In December 2014, Rossy flew over Dubai for the first time. He performed jaw-dropping formations with an airplane.
However, none of his previous stunts equal his most recent adventure with Reffet in Dubai. According to Forbes magazine, Rossy moved to Dubai so he can train more people to fly the latest model of his wing suit, Newsmax reports.
In The Golden City, Rossy can have access to world-class facilities like Skydive Dubai that will help him take Jetman Dubai to the next level.
Rossy is presently enjoying training Reffet. "It is a privilege to have a talented athlete like Vince fly beside me," he told Forbes. "Together we will make great advances as we move towards our next big milestone."
