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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
World
Ben Morgan

Jetpack pilot in 'Iron Man suit' soars above Dubai during incredible stunt

Vince Reffet, known as Jetman, taking part in a flight in the Emirati city of Dubai (Picture: EXPO 2020/AFP via Getty Images)

A daredevil wearing an "Iron Man suit" completed a series of hair raising stunts in a video that has now gone viral.

Pilot Vince Reffet, nicknamed Jetman, was propelled thousands of feet above Dubai wearing the carbon-fibre winged jetpack.

Mr Reffet completed a vertical take-off using the four mini-jet engines before attempting a series of stunts during the three-minute flight.

The test flight has been lauded as the first autonomous human flight by taking off from the ground and climbing to high altitude.

During the flight Mr Raffet was propelled about 5,800 feet into the air in 30 seconds while travelling at around 140mph.

Mr Reffet was also able to demonstrate his control of the pack by hovering 15 feet over the Arabian Gulf for several seconds before rapidly ascending.

He completed a loop-the-loop manoeuvre before he deployed a parachute to return to earth.

Yves Rossy, known as Jetman (EXPO 2020/AFP via Getty Images)

Mr Reffet completed the stunt as part of Expo Dubai 2020 and said his team were now focused on a new challenge.

He said: "We are so happy we achieved this incredible flight."

Yves Rossy, known as Jetman, taking part in a flight in the Emirati city of Dubai (EXPO 2020/AFP via Getty Images)

He added: "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."

He used a parachute to return to earth (EXPO 2020/AFP via Getty Images)

A video of Mr Reffet has been viewed more than 340,000 times online and prompted comparisons to the suit worn by Robert Downey Jr in the Iron Man films.

The flight was also hailed by the Crown Prince of Dubai Sheik Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum on Instagram.

Yves Rossy, known as Jetman (EXPO 2020/AFP via Getty Images)

He posted: "A major milestone in the quest to achieve 100% autonomous human flight. Well done boys."

Mr Reffet is one half of The Dubai Jetman project, alongside Fred Fugen, where they use technology and “nerves of steel” to push boundaries.

They have previously leapt from the Jungfrau Mountain into a moving plane and Mr Reffet also soared above China's Tianmen Mountain last year.

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