“Vince was a talented athlete, and a very dear and respected member of our team,” the statement said. “Our thoughts and prayers are with her family and all those who know her and work with her.”
Jetman Dubai has developed a jet-powered wingsuit capable of taking off from the ground and then transferring to high-itude altitude flight.
In February, Rafat, whose stunts using jetspacks went viral on social media, was the first pilot to show a transition to a high-power flight.
Jetman pilots previously launched from elevated platforms such as helicopters. Raft was the first to inaugurate from the ground up.
The company said it envisioned Raft’s death as “incredible sadness.”
“We are working closely with all relevant authorities and ask you to keep Vince’s family in your thoughts and prayers,” he continued.
Jetman Dubai’s Carbon Fiber Wingsuit is powered by four mini-jet engines, and the team’s engineers were able to create a self-contained thrust vector, which allows pilots to “control the rotation around the yaw axis at zero speed.”
The yaw axis is perpendicular to the wings and allows the pilot to turn left and right while flying horizontally.
Pilots can perform rolls and loops, hover, rock, turn and drill.
According to the Jetman Dubai website, the maximum altitude of the suit is 6,100 meters (20,000 feet), the maximum duration of the flight is 13 minutes and the top speed is 220 knots (253 miles per hour).
In 2015, Rafat and fellow pilot Yves Rossi flew over Dubai with the world’s largest passenger jet, an Airbus A380.
Rifat, 36, was also known for base jumping, and jumped from the world’s tallest building, Burj Khalifa, in 2014.
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