French Jetman Died While Training in Dubai

jetman, vince reffet
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A jetman or human who flies using a jet engine from France, Vince Reffet, died while doing training in Dubai.

The incident occurred on Tuesday (17/11) morning local time. This is the official statement from the company posted on Facebook.

Reffet is incorporated in the Jetman Dubai company.

“Vince is a talented athlete, and a very loved and respected member of our team,” the statement as quoted by CNN.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and everyone who knows and works with him.”

Jetman Dubai has developed a jet-powered wing suit capable of propelling humans off the ground and then into high-altitude flights.

In February, Vince Reffet made a scene through his actions on the air and went viral on social media. He became the first human to demonstrate the transition to high-altitude flight.

Previous Jetman pilots were launched from higher platforms, such as helicopters. Reffet was the first to launch from the ground.

Dubai’s Jetman carbon fiber wingsuit is powered by four mini jet engines, and the team’s engineers were able to create a manually-controlled thrust vectoring nozzle that allowed the pilot “to control rotation around the yaw axis at zero speed.”

The yaw axis is perpendicular to the wing and allows the pilot to turn left and right while flying horizontally.

Pilots can hover, stop, turn and maneuver, even make turns.

The device can reach a maximum altitude of 6,100 meters (20,000 feet). According to the Jetman Dubai website, maximum flight duration is 13 minutes and a top speed is 220 knots (253 miles per hour).

In 2015, Reffet and Yves Rossy flew with the world’s largest passenger jet, the Airbus A380, over Dubai’s skies.

This 36-year-old jetman was also known to love BASE jumping and jumping off the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world in 2014.