At the end of February, Dubai, the jewel of the United Arab Emirates, became the scene for an unusual competition: jetpack racing. Mail.ru reports this.
All race participants are experienced pilots who carefully prepared for the competition. They were lifted into the sky by Gravity jetpacks from the American company Gravity Industries, equipped with 1500 hp engines. and capable of reaching speeds of up to 128 km/h.
The jetpacks were refueled with the same type of fuel as for the Airbus A380 and Boeing 777 aircraft of Emirates airlines.
To protect the safety of pilots wearing jetpacks, the race took place over water, near the Skydive Dubai parachute center. This decision turned out to be justified: at least one of the participants fell into the water at high speed.
The winner of the race was pilot Issa Kalfon, who, as he admitted, was worried before the start. However, he noted the safety and ease of use of the jet suit, controlled by a turbine on a backpack and four turbines in the hands.
It is worth noting that the championship was the first sports competition in the world where participants took to the air without the help of aircraft.