Jet-powered wingsuit takes off from the ground for high-altitude flight

Feb. 18 (UPI) -- The Dubai-based creators of a jet-powered wingsuit said they marked a new milestone for Iron Man style flight: taking off from the ground for a high-altitude flight.

The Jetman Dubai team has previously demonstrated the jet-powered wingsuit with flights that involved taking off from elevated platforms, but Friday's test at Skydive Dubai in the United Arab Emirates marked the first time the suit took off from the ground and transitioned to a high altitude flight, reaching nearly 6,000 feet.

Vine Reffett, the Jetman pilot who conducted the demonstration, showed off the suit's ability to hover, stop, turn and maneuver in the air.

The approximately three-minute flight saw Reffett fly at an average speed of nearly 150 mph before parachuting to the ground from a height of about 5,000 feet.

"One of the next objectives is to land back on the ground after a flight at altitude, without needing to open a parachute. It's being worked on," Reffett said in a statement.