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A French stuntman famous for wowing crowds by flying over city skyscrapers with jet engines strapped to his back was killed in a training accident in Dubai.
Vincent Reffet, 36, of Annecy, France, was killed in the deserts of the Arab Sheikh, Jetman Dubai said in a statement, adding that the company is “working closely with all relevant authorities.”
“Vince was a talented athlete and a much loved and respected member of our team,” read his statement. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and all those who knew and worked with him.”
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February 2020: Jetman loop-de-loops over Dubai
Jetman Dubai did not elaborate and Dubai police did not immediately acknowledge the incident.
The UAE General Civil Aviation Authority, which investigates all aviation incidents in the federation of seven sheikhs, did not immediately respond to a call for comment.
With a carbon fiber wing powered by four mini jet engines, Reffet flew at 1,800 meters (5,900 feet) above sea level earlier this year in Dubai.
He was no stranger to breaking records: He previously participated in a base jump from the top of the world’s tallest building at 828 meters (2,716 feet), the Burj Khalifa, in the city.
His parents were also paratroopers, and Reffet was once quoted as saying, “I think if you dream big and love what you do, anything is possible.”
Reffet jumping from the 300m open platform of Malaysia’s iconic Kuala Lumpur Tower during International Tower Jump in 2013
However, it was best known for being a part of Jetman Dubai, founded by Swiss adventurer Yves Rossy.
In 2015, Reffet and Rossy flew alongside an Emirates Airbus A380 double-decker plane over Dubai.
“It’s the feeling of freedom. You know, when I’m skydiving, I have a feeling of freedom that I like to go where I want to, but always going down,” Reffet told the Associated Press the same year.
“With this machine … I can fly like a bird.”
