--- title: "Jetpack Test Pilot Dies During Training Accident" description: "Vince Reffet, a person known for soaring above Dubai using a jet-powered wingsuit, has passed away during a training accident on Tuesday." date: "2020-11-17" modified: "2020-11-17" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/jetman-test-pilot-dies-jetpack-accident" categories: - "Future Society" tags: - "dubai" - "jetman" - "jetpack" - "the digest" --- # Jetpack Test Pilot Dies During Training Accident ![Vince Reffet, a person known for soaring above Dubai using a jet-powered wingsuit, has passed away during a training accident on Tuesday.]() *\Image: Jetman Dubai\* ## Jetman Extreme sports professional Vince Reffet, known for soaring high above the skyline using a jet-powered wingsuit as part of the Jetman Dubai team, has passed away during a training accident on Tuesday, [*Agence France-Presse* reports](). Reffet and his team have made several incredible appearances, including screaming through the air at up to 124 mph (200 kmh) after hurtling out of a plane circling over Dubai. Reffet and his fellow jetpack pilot Yves Rossy even flew [alongside a jumbo jet]() during one daring stunt in 2015. ## Human Flight In February, Reffet took the amazing stunt to its next logical conclusion, [taking off from the ground]() aided by a carbon fiber wingsuit powered by four mini jet engines. He flew to a height almost 6,000 feet (1,800 meters), what [Jetman Dubai called]() "another world's first in their quest to achieve 100 per cent autonomous human flight," before safely returning back to the surface using a parachute. https://youtu.be/nj-Iwv5NJKg ## Unimaginable Sadness "It is with unimaginable sadness that we announce the passing of Jetman Pilot, Vincent Reffet, who died this morning, 17 November, during training in Dubai," Jetman Dubai spokesman Abdulla Binhabtoor told *AFP*. "Vince was a talented athlete, and a much-loved and respected member of our team," Binhabtoor added. "Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and all those who knew and worked with him." In October, Reffet reflected on his incredible achievements in an [interview with *AFP*](). "You have so many dreams and life is so short." **READ MORE:** [French 'Jetman' killed in training accident in Dubai]() \[*AFP*\] **More on Reffet:** *[Watch a Real-Life “Iron Man” Take Off From the Ground Like a Badass]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()