"The Flying Man" Vince Reffet died during Jetman training in Dubai

The large wingsuit family and those close to the Soul Flyers are in mourning. On Tuesday November 17, Jetman's skydiver, base jumper and pilot, Vince Reffet died during training in Dubai.

PFor many, “the sky is the limit”, but for Vince, “the sky was his home”. Professional parachutist and emeritus sportsman, Vincent Reffet was nicknamed "the flying man". Throughout his life, he accumulated sporting exploits in the air. The general public had discovered it thanks to his entering a plane in mid-flight, or during its spectacular flights alongside the patrouille de France or an A380. We also remember his base jump from the tallest tower in the world, the Burj Khalifa.

The man who pushed the limits

For several months, Vincent had been working on the realization of a prototype with the team of Jetman Dubai. On February 14, equipped with a carbon fiber wing propelled by four jet engines, the pilot surprised the whole world taking off from the ground with this futuristic machine. But the rest of the story will unfortunately be darker. And it was on the Dubai desert training ground that Vince lost his life this week. An investigation is underway to determine the exact circumstances of the tragedy. The announcement of the death was made by the spokesperson for Jetman Dubai.

“It is with unimaginable sadness that we announce the passing of Jetman's pilot, Vincent (Vince) Reffet, who died on the morning of November 17th during training in Dubai. Vince was a talented athlete and a much appreciated and respected member of our team. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and all who knew and worked with him. We are working closely with all relevant authorities and kindly ask you to keep Vince's family in your thoughts and prayers. "

Impressive flights

During his Jetman flight last February, Vince had reached an altitude of 100 meters in 8 seconds, and 1000 meters in just 30 seconds at an average speed of 240 km / h. At the end of a 3-minute flight punctuated by a roll and a loop at an altitude of 1 meters, he opened his parachute at 800 meters. It was the first time that a Jetman Dubai pilot combined hovering and high-altitude aerobatics in the same flight. The equipment allowed him to reach speeds of 1 km / h, glide, change direction and perform loops. On October 500, Vincent shared on Instagram beautiful aerial images of a Jetman flight, captured over the Skydive Dubai Desert Campus.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Vince Reffet (@vincereffet)

With his friend Fred Fugen, the parachutist formed the legendary duo of Soul flyers. Passionate about aerial choreography, Vince and Fred fascinated and inspired others "to take flight, with or without wings". Their exploits in wingsuit, base jump and more recently in Jetman will be remembered forever.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Soul Flyers (@soulflyers)

Watch the video of Vince and Fred's performance, “A Door in the Sky”.