---
title: "Watch a Real-Life “Iron Man” Take Off From the Ground Like a Badass"
description: "Jet-powered suit pilot and Iron Man Vince Reffet just took off from the ground in Dubai reaching a height of 100 meters in just 8 seconds."
date: "2020-02-18"
modified: "2020-02-18"
authors:
  - name: "Victor Tangermann"
    job_title: "Senior Editor"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor"
url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/real-life-iron-man-takeoff"
categories:
  - "Robots and Machines"
tags:
  - "Iron Man"
  - "iron man suit"
  - "jetpack"
  - "jetsuit"
  - "the digest"
---

# Watch a Real-Life “Iron Man” Take Off From the Ground Like a Badass

![Jet-powered suit pilot Vince Reffet just took off from the ground in Dubai reaching a height of 100 meters in just 8 seconds.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/real-life-iron-man-takeoff.jpg>)
*\<em\>Image: XDubai\</em\>*

## To Infinity

Jet-powered suit pilot Vince Reffet just took off from the ground in Dubai reaching a height of 100 meters (328 feet) in just eight seconds. Just 22 seconds later, he made it to a staggering 1000 meters (3280 feet). His average speed: 130 knots, equivalent to almost 150 mph.

At 1,800 meters (almost 6,000 feet), Reffet performed a roll and a loop before opening his parachute, safely landing on the ground below.

https://youtu.be/nj-Iwv5NJKg

## Loop-de-Loop

"It is the first time that a Jetman Dubai pilot could combine hovering safely at a limited altitude and flying aerobatics at high altitude in the same flight," XDubai, the company behind the stunt, wrote in the video description.

"Controlled from the ground by the human body, the equipment enables Jetman Dubai to reach speeds of 400kmh, as well as hovering, changing direction and performing loops," reads the caption.

Reffet joins the likes of Swiss real-life "Iron Man" Yves Rossy, who recently was filmed [hovering above Geneva lake](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/jet-wing-pilot-jetman-hover-over-lake>) in Switzerland using his own jet-powered suit.

In November, a different real-life "Iron Man," British inventor and daredevil Richard Browning, [set his own speed record](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/daredevil-speed-record-iron-man-jet-suit>) while flying his own take on the jetsuit —albeit missing a giant rear wing — reaching a blistering 136.891 kilometers per hour (85.06 miles per hour).

**READ MORE:** [Iron Man dreams are closer to becoming a reality thanks to this new Jetman Dubai video](<https://www.theverge.com/tldr/2020/2/18/21142603/jetman-dubai-pilot-video-watch-jetpack-iron-man-autonomous-human-flight>) \[*The Verge*\]

**More on jetsuits:** *[Watch a Jet Wing Pilot “Jetman” Hover Over a Lake](<https://futurism.com/the-byte/jet-wing-pilot-jetman-hover-over-lake>)*

## 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](<https://bsky.app/profile/vtanger.bsky.social>)