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Vincent Thian / AP
In this 2013 file photo, base jumper Vince Reffet leaps from the 300-meter open deck of Malaysia’s landmark, the Kuala Lumpur Tower.
One of Dubai’s “jet men”, whose flights over the world’s tallest building and alongside a jumbo jet with engines strapped to its back wowed viewers online, died Tuesday while training in the deserts of this Arab sheikh. his organization said.
Vincent Reffet, 36, of Annecy, France, died during training, Jetman Dubai said in a statement. The organization did not elaborate, although it said it was “working closely with all relevant authorities.”
“Vince was a talented athlete and a much loved and respected member of our team,” his statement read. “Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and all those who knew and worked with him.”
Dubai police did not immediately recognize the incident. The UAE General Civil Aviation Authority, which investigates all aviation incidents in this federation of seven sheikhs, did not immediately return a call for comment Tuesday night.
XDUBAI / YouTube
The 2015 video captured the moment when Jetman (Yves Rossy) and Jetman Junior (Vince Reffet) took to the skies to fly alongside an Emirates A380 passenger jet over Dubai.
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Reffet made a BASE jump from the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world at 828 meters in Dubai, setting a world record. BASE is an acronym for building, antenna, span, and land.
Kamran Jebreili / AP
Vince Reffet (left) and former Swiss pilot Yves Rossy prepare to fly in Dubai in 2015.
He previously won gold medals while competing as a free flight skydiver on a team and competing as a Red Bull sponsored extreme athlete. Excitement was in his blood since his parents were also paratroopers.
“I think if you dream big and if you love what you do, anything is possible,” Reffet said.
But the general public in Dubai got to know Reffet as part of Jetman Dubai. The organization, founded by Swiss adventurer Yves Rossy, sees its athletes cross the sky with a four-motor carbon-Kevlar wing strapped to their back. The wings can fly 50 km, have a maximum speed of more than 400 km / h and can reach an altitude of 6100 meters.
Kamran Jebreili / AP
Vince Reffet and Yves Rossy shake hands after flying over Dubai’s Palm Island in 2015.
Under the brand of XDubai, which is associated with the Crown Prince of Dubai, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the jet men have flown past the Burj Khalifa and other sites around the city-state. In 2015, Reffet and Rossy flew alongside an Emirates Airbus A380 double-decker plane over Dubai.
“It is the feeling of freedom. You know, when I’m skydiving, I have this feeling of freedom, I like to go where I want to, but always going down, “Reffet told The Associated Press in 2015.” With this machine … I can fly like a bird. “
