Man Sets Record for Fastest Speed in a Jet Pack: 'This Is Just the Beginning'
Richard Browning reached 32.5 miles per hour in a jet engine power suit his company designed.
A British man is walking on air after breaking the world record for reaching the fastest speed in a jet pack.
Richard Browning, dubbed the real-life Iron Man, flew 32.2 miles per hour in his flying suit around Lagoona Park, located in Reading, England, to win the Guinness World Records title for fastest speed in a body-controlled jet engine power suit.
“I’m delighted that we’ve set the record, but I have no doubt this is just the beginning,” Browning said. “I think we can go out and we can smash it."
Browning is the founder of Gravity Industries, the company behind the “Daedalus Mark 1” flight suit he wore during his record-setting flight.
“It’s a very special moment every time we suit up,” he said of the gadget that weighs about 100 pounds. “You really know you’re about to do something as the engine starts pulling up, it starts to build, you can sense the energy, and the moment the ground leaves your feet and you’re actually in the air, it’s a pleasure and a joy.”
Because the technology is so new, Browning only had to beat 30 miles per hour to set the record.
“Every time we take this equipment out, we never really know how it’s going to go — there’s no rule to this, there’s no guidebook or manual,” Browning explained. “We’re just at the beginning of this technology journey.”
The achievement comes on Guinness World Records day, where people around the world attempt to break new records to celebrate the founding of the book.