A runway in Dubai recently played host to its first ever jet suit race, which saw racers whizzing along the Dubai Marina skyline, controlling jet engines on their backs, with their hands.
This may sound like a scene from the Iron Man, Marvel comic book films and the pilots said it was exactly like that!
“The closest analogy would be that dream of flying … and then go wherever your mind is taking you,” said Richard Browning, the founder and chief test pilot for Gravity Industries, the firm who organised the race.
At the recent races, pilots wore 1,500-horsepower jet suits, using the same kind of fuel used by Dubai-based long-haul carrier Emirates’ Airbus A380s and Boeing 777 aircraft and more powerful than some luxury sports cars.
The pilots sped around obstacles in a water channel near the Dubai Marina reaching speeds of up to 80mph (128kph). The organisers chose this particular site to allow for higher speeds as well as for safety, as they skimmed just above the water.
The crowd watched on from below and Jennifer Ross, a US citizen from Houston said “It’s pretty amazing to see that they can do this in Dubai and they have these guys flying over the water. It’s kind of like astronauts flying around in space.”
Dubai is well known for its beaches, bazaars and bars but is a city also fascinated by flight. It hosts the world’s busiest airport for international travel and has been chasing an idea of flying taxis for years.
Watch this space!
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