The first autonomous human flight took place in Dubai this month. Yes, you read that right, Jetman pilot, Vince Reffet just completed an epic human flight and it didn’t go unnoticed as the Emirate’s Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum shared footage of the flight on social media.
The royal took to Instagram to share it with the caption: "A major milestone in the quest to achieve 100% autonomous human flight. Well done boys.”
The viral video shows Vince Reffet wearing a carbon wire wing powered by four small jet engines, taking off towards Jumeirah Beach Residence and reaching 1000 meters in 30 seconds, at a speed of 241 km/ph. The equipment he used to fly can be controlled by the human body, and can allow for a person "to reach speeds of 400kmh, as well as hovering, changing direction and performing loops."
The Jetman pilot flew for three minutes before opening his parachute at 1,500m and landed at Skydive Dubai. Reffet flew again, post-landing, as he took off once more, and reportedly travelled "at an average speed of 240kmh,” and climbed “100m in the air in eight seconds, 200m in 12 seconds, 500m in 19 seconds and 1,000m in 30 seconds." He also adventurously looped and rolled at 1800m in the sky before making a smooth landing again.
This one of its kind human flight was organized and developed by Yves Rossy, a Swiss military-trained pilot, who always dreamed of “flying like a bird” and went on to invent and build the “Jet-wing.”
Jetman Dubai is a collaborative project with XDubai, which is an extreme sports company, which will allow people to experience flying through the concept, and is set to “create a future for individuals flying with Jet-wings and that will one day change the way we experience the world."
