Jetman soars over Dubai in new world first

He was joined by his protégé Vince Reffet, who became only the second person in the world to earn the distinction of flying with the innovative Jetman wing following five years of training by Rossy.

They completed the twin human formation flight flying at over 13,000 feet together over landmarks in Dubai after leaping from a helicopter.

The pair are working with adventure sports specialists XDubai to develop the jetpack to eventually include the capability to take off.

“I actually got the idea for ‘Jetman’ when I was skydiving. Floating through the air with nothing but a backpack strapped to my back was the closest I had ever felt to actually flying, but I was really disappointed that it didn’t last very long as you have to deploy a parachute after 35 to 40 seconds. It was then that I decided that I wanted to develop wings that would help me achieve my dream of sustained flight,” he told journalists at a press conference at the Burj Khalifa in Dubai.

Rossy has flown over the Grand Canyon, Mount Fuji, Rio de Janeiro, the Swiss Alps and now he will continue his adventure flying over Dubai.

A video showing the pair flying over Dubai can be seen on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Czy0pXRRZcs