Watch: Iron Man in Dubai? 'Flying Man' soars high in his jet suit

The ‘Flying Man’ has taken off in Dubai, and it was a sight to behold! Sam Rogers suited up and soared over the parking area of Zabeel Hall, Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), on Wednesday.

Rogers flew as high as 15 metres thrice under three minutes to demonstrate the capacity of his self-made 3D printed jet suit and showcase the cutting-edge technology that is dubbed as the future of individual mobility.

After the live demo – which was part of the 3rd Dubai World Congress for Self-Driving Transport – the UK-based test pilot and design lead at Gravity Industries told Khaleej Times that he can actually “go up to 6,000 feet (1,828 metres) and fly up to eight minutes to cover a massive amount of ground.”

“I stayed low for the safety of people (on the ground) and because they would have needed binoculars to see me if I flew very high,” he added.

Built and tested himself

Growing up experimenting and fabricating his own rockets, radio-controlled aircraft and homemade camera equipment, Rogers has designed, built and tested the Gravity Jet Suit.

The kerosene-fuelled jet suit can fly over land and water. It has five turbojet engines – two on each arm and one at the back – with controls located inside the grip handles. Multiple versions of the suit were tested, and the latest iteration that was used in Dubai was named Mark III.

Rogers said balancing, controlling and flying the jet suit was easy. “It doesn’t take too long to learn how to fly it either,” he added.

There was also no difference flying the jet suit in Dubai or in his hometown in UK – “apart from the heat in Dubai, of course,” he continued.

What’s next?

Rogers said he has built an electric version of the jet suit. Next among his plans is to organise a world race series for jet suits, which he hopes will take place soon in Dubai.

He noted the jet suit race would stimulate innovation among participating companies that would accelerate the advancement of the technology.

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