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Jetpack pilots enjoy a midair dance with a commercial jetliner

It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s a pair of guys in jetpacks!

Photo of Mike Wehner

Mike Wehner

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Just the thought of jumping out of a plane is enough to make most people’s palms sweat, but they do things a little bit differently in Dubai.

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Instead of diving from the sky, Jetman Dubai pilots Yves Rossy and Vince Reffet play the role of planes themselves. In a new stunt video, the daredevils team up with an Emirates A380 jetliner for a bit of formation flying.

Jetman Dubai

The pilots take to the sky on their personal wings, dancing alongside the jet as it cruises over Dubai. It’s a spectacular bit of flying on the part of both pilots; the skill with which they fly within feet of the massive aircraft is impressive, to say the least.

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Three months’ worth of coordination and planning went into the epic flight. “When you first heard about it, it was madness,” said Gareth Lloyd Evans, flight operations manager for Emirates. “But then, as we worked through the process and identified the risks, it became more of a challenge and opportunity to show our skills.”

The Airbus A380 is a special plane, too. It’s currently the largest passenger airliner in existence. Each one costs more than $400 million. 

Screengrab via Jetman Dubai/YouTube

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