Is it a bird? Is it a plane?
On Wednesday, when everyone was looking at the Dubai skyline, they didn’t just see towering skyscrapers glistening in the sunlight; something else was zapping through the air…
It wasn’t Superman, but it was close enough, as pilots strapped into jet suits zapped through the air, marking the first time that a jet suit race took place in Dubai’s skies.
It marked a significant leap in blending cutting-edge technology with extreme sports, as several pilots zoomed across a course at speeds of 128 kph. Strapped with 1,500-horsepower jet suits on their hands and back, racers navigated a challenging course across the waters of Dubai.
The founder and chief test pilot for Gravity Industries, Richard Browning, described the thrilling experience, “the closest analogy would be that dream of flying where you can walk, run and step, and then go wherever your mind is taking you.” It’s every die-hard superhero fan’s dream becoming a reality while also showcasing the potential of the endless limits of extreme sports.
This exciting race was a special collaboration between Gravity Industries, a jet suit company, and the Dubai Sports Council. This isn’t the first time that Gravity made use of its jet suits, as the company drew worldwide attention several years back when they equipped one of their jet suits on a UK Royal Marine who flew and landed on a ship.
All in all, this does mark a new era in extreme sports and the power of technology in re-writing the possibilities of all types of industries.
