The record flight for Browning comes just eight months after he founded Gravity Industries.
The Guinness World Record for the fastest jetpack flight now belongs to a British inventor. The man has been dubbed the “real life Iron Man”. He set the record using a £40,000 ($52,000) jetpack. The pack is powered by kerosene thrusters which propel the wearer several feet above the ground. For the record, it reached 32.02 mph.
The record was set by flying over Lagoona Park in Reading UK on Thursday, November 8. Richard Browning who is also the founder of British technology firm Gravity Industries set the official record for the ‘fastest speed in a body controlled jet engine powered suit’.
Speaking at the event Browning said that he was delighted to have set the record. He added that it was a pleasure and a privilege to have his unique creation recognized and celebrated around the world. Gravity Industries has filed patents for its jetpack. The pack combines body mounted miniaturized jet engines with a specially designed exoskeleton. The specific design of the suit allows for vertical takeoff and flight.
The record flight for Browning comes just eight months after he founded Gravity Industries. The founder now hopes to commercialize the technology which will make it accessible to many. He also hopes to be able to push the record even further in the future.
On the company’s website, it states that Gravity Industries had gone from an audacious dream to a patent-pending technology. This technology is powering the world’s first human propulsion flight. The company has managed to achieve this in less than 12 months. But it does not end there for Gravity Industries. The company’s vision is to build an entirely new generation of flight systems. There are hopes that these will be used in both commercial and entertainment applications. In essence, the company hopes to make personal flight devices accessible to all.
But, Gravity Industries is only one of several companies currently working on the innovative jetpack technology. Aviation giant Boeing and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) recently announced a $2 million prize for personal flying devices. The idea behind the announcement is for teams to build a jetpack that anyone could use. The flight tool needs to be ultra-compact, quiet and “urban compatible”. Teams are able to register for the first phase of the GoFly Prize until April 4, 2018. And entries are already coming in.
Browning’s record attempt has helped promote Guinness World Records Day. The day is set to be celebrated on November 19. It is expected that over 600 000 people around the world will attempt to break various world records on the day.
