The Man Who Turned Human Flight Into Reality
““Aviation and engineering ran in the family,” Browning says, recalling a childhood spent around his father’s workshop.”
By JOS Editorial
published November 2, 2026updated November 5, 2026
Richard Browning is a British entrepreneur, inventor, and the creator of the Daedalus flight pack Jet Suit.. He is the founder and chief test pilot of the aeronautical innovation company Gravity Industries.
Eight months, a day job, and a 20% chance: how the first jet-suit flight came together
"I started experimenting around March 2016, and by November that year I had my very first flight working. That's only eight or nine months, all alongside a day job. Honestly, the biggest delay was getting the equipment repaired every time I damaged it. I had no training tether, so I'd test the equipment and then just fall over."
"At the very start, I'd have given it maybe a 20% chance of working. It seemed pretty ludicrous. I didn't know whether the human body could manage the balance it needed, or whether you could balance it easily at all."
"My very first flight in November 2016 had an engine on the back of each leg and two on each arm. The arm engines worked really well, because with one on either side, the net thrust just feels like it's pushing on your hand, like you're leaning on a surface. These days we put one on the back instead, so you get a kind of tripod: two arms plus the rear thrust. It's a really stable position."
