Jet suits have been a holy grail of science fiction for many decades. However, the dream of flying in the sky without an aircraft was turned into reality quite recently by a British inventor named Richard Browning, who created the Daedalus Flight Pack “jet suit.” And now we’ll soon have the world’s first jet suit race, which is set to take place in Dubai on February 28. The Dubai Jet Suit Race will be the first sporting event of its kind in the world where opponents will race against each other in the air without the aid of an aircraft. A total of 8 racers from eight different countries will participate in the inaugural race, including Ahmed Al Shehhi from the United Arab Emirates.
The announcement of the first jet suit race was made at Burj Park near the Burj Khalifa on Thursday, which also included a live demonstration from three of the racers who’ll compete in the inaugural race. The racing event is being organized in partnership with the Dubai Sports Council and Browning’s pioneering jet suit company, Gravity Industries. It will be held at Dubai Harbour and will be part of the Dubai Boat Show. Browning, who’s also the chief test pilot of Gravity Industries, has dreamt about the jet suit racing for many years and hopes that this will be the first in a series of races across the world.
Gravity has demonstrated the capabilities of the jet suit through 300 events organized in 45 countries over the last six years. Browning said: “Gravity pilots have flown in Dubai multiple times over the last six years and it’s a real pleasure to be coming back with the support of the Dubai Sports Council to deliver a mind-blowing spectacle of what humans and technology can achieve. Our Gravity Race Series promises even more visceral excitement and drama than Formula One has done for decades, updated for the 21st century and airborne.”
