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This video has been doing the rounds of the internet - An Airbus A380 flying in formation with 2 jetpack - and news sites have raised an uproar of critics calling "fake".

"Jet(pack) pilots keep pace as the Airbus flies 1200 metres above the UAE capital, even though the plane has ... a cruise speed of 945 km/h. The jetpacks can reach 314 km/h"

Jetpacks and A380

Did these jetpacks fly with an A380?

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    It has been on legitimate news sources. Why do you doubt it?
    – GEdgar
    Nov 6, 2015 at 2:09
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    @GEdgar News sources aren't known as founts of truth. Also the "legitimate news source" I quoted had the title "Real or Fake? Emirates denies charges of video fakery".
    – Coomie
    Nov 6, 2015 at 3:04
  • I saw the video and the story on the CBS Evening News in the US.
    – GEdgar
    Nov 6, 2015 at 13:12
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    FYI fixed-wing jetpack flights have been real and performing impressive feats since at least 2008 when a pilot flew a jetpack from France to England - news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk/7637327.stm - so it's the relative speeds and the controlled formation that are what's new, remarkable and worth questioning here
    – user56reinstatemonica8
    Nov 6, 2015 at 16:59
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    Note that "cruise speed" is NOT the minimum safe speed an airplane can maintain (and stay aloft), it's just the one usually chosen for travel, on a spectrum of speed and fuel efficiency. The picture clearly shows the A380 has its flaps extended - this increases lift due to increased wing area (which also slows the plane as drag, but speed is already being limited anyways).
    – Clockwork-Muse
    Nov 7, 2015 at 15:32

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Yes, this is definitely real, and not just real, an amazing show of skill and aviation.

On 13th October 2015, two pilots/stuntmen/skydivers (Yves Rossy and Vince Reffet) of stunt team Jetman Dubai performed this stunt with the help of Emirates Airline, and one of their A380's.

The Emirates A380 and Jetman Dubai team recently took to the skies of Dubai for an extraordinary formation flight which showcases just how far aviation has come. The formations were conducted over the Palm Jumeirah and Dubai skyline with Burj Khalifa in the background [...] While the formation flight looked effortless on film, painstaking planning and meticulous collaboration with an intense focus on safety drove all efforts. [...] The carefully choreographed aerial showcase involved the world’s largest passenger aircraft flying at 4,000 feet in two holding patterns. The A380 aircraft was then joined by the Jetman Dubai duo, experienced pilots and operators of the smallest jet propelled wing, who were deployed from a helicopter that hovered above the aircraft at 5,500 feet. The duo conducted formations on both sides of the aircraft and joined to one side thereafter before breaking away.

Judging by the behinds the scenes video made on the day it took 4 aircraft, and countless people to organise this stunt and ensure its safety.

As I kind of expected, this is being questioned at aviation.se too where you will no doubt find some more technical details of the practicalities of this flight.

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