Richard Browning has been compared with Iron Man superhero Tony Stark. Others might think he is stark raving mad.
By attaching miniature jet engines to various parts of his body, Mr Browning is able to achieve man’s dream of flying like a bird. Most of the time.
At the opening of Dubai's GISEC security and technology conference on Tuesday , he soared around five metres in the air across a car park, landing successfully in a cloud of dust and at an ear-splitting 108 decibels, about the same as being in the front row of a Motorhead concert.
In the quest to develop his Daedalus suit - named after the father of Icarus who didn't die after taking to the air in Greek mythology - he has more than occasionally come down to earth with a bump.
For his Guinness World Record attempt last November, for the fastest speed in a body-controlled jet-engine powered suit, Browning sensibly chose an artificial lake for the course.
After reaching a world record speed of 51.53kph over 100 metres on his third and final attempt, the video shows him plunging into the water in a cloud of smoke and steam, emerging with a broad grin and an inflated life jacket.
“A good flight is a good landing,” says Browning, 39. He describes the flight level options as “Water - high. Grass - lower. Concrete? Hmm.”
The suit is made up of six micro gas turbines, each capable of 22kg of thrust, or 1,000 horsepower.
Once an oil trader for BP, he is now on a career break to develop the suit's commercial potential with his company Gravity.
Unlike the fictional Marvel character Tony Stark, Browning is not a billionaire, nor does he live in a mansion in Malibu.
His home is in the English county of Wiltshire, where he lives, perhaps astonishingly, with a wife and young family.
She is, he says, “very forgiving. She knew what she was getting into when she married me. Although even for me, this is off the scale.”
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Read more:
Jetman wows crowds at Red Bull Air Race
Dubai Civil Defence launches Dolphin: a jetski from which to fight fires, complete with a jetpack
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Having trained as a Royal Marine, an elite amphibious corps in Britain’s Royal Navy, Browning has maintained a high level of fitness, running ultra-marathons.
But he says the suit, which came from a personal vision of flying, can be used by anyone who is “reasonably fit”.
After looking at several different propulsion methods, he settled on gas turbines, which can be powered with jet fuel or diesel. The technique involves balancing the thrust by moving his arms and aiming at the ground. “In the early days, we were learning by failing,” he says. Once in the air, despite the noise and vibration, the experience is “strangely peaceful”.
The early version has developed considerably over the past year to give it the Iron Man look, with the addition of a heads-up display in his helmet that will usefully tell him how much fuel is left, something he previously had to guess.
Eventually, he hopes to take the speed to around 120kph, although he has yet to fly at a height that would need a parachute or feel worse than a tumble from a motorbike in the event of a crash.
No licence is needed to fly it. Much like the early days of drones, “there are no rules for new stuff”, he says.
The suit is now on the market for $250,000 (Dh918,000) including training, with the first sale already made. There are also military applications, with several special forces showing interest.
Browning, though, prefers to compare his flying suit to a jet ski. “What’s the point of a jet ski? It’s all about having fun.”
How to get exposure to gold
Although you can buy gold easily on the Dubai markets, the problem with buying physical bars, coins or jewellery is that you then have storage, security and insurance issues.
A far easier option is to invest in a low-cost exchange traded fund (ETF) that invests in the precious metal instead, for example, ETFS Physical Gold (PHAU) and iShares Physical Gold (SGLN) both track physical gold. The VanEck Vectors Gold Miners ETF invests directly in mining companies.
Alternatively, BlackRock Gold & General seeks to achieve long-term capital growth primarily through an actively managed portfolio of gold mining, commodity and precious-metal related shares. Its largest portfolio holdings include gold miners Newcrest Mining, Barrick Gold Corp, Agnico Eagle Mines and the NewMont Goldcorp.
Brave investors could take on the added risk of buying individual gold mining stocks, many of which have performed wonderfully well lately.
London-listed Centamin is up more than 70 per cent in just three months, although in a sign of its volatility, it is down 5 per cent on two years ago. Trans-Siberian Gold, listed on London's alternative investment market (AIM) for small stocks, has seen its share price almost quadruple from 34p to 124p over the same period, but do not assume this kind of runaway growth can continue for long
However, buying individual equities like these is highly risky, as their share prices can crash just as quickly, which isn't what what you want from a supposedly safe haven.
Company%20profile%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EElggo%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20August%202022%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Luma%20Makari%20and%20Mirna%20Mneimneh%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%2C%20UAE%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Education%20technology%20%2F%20health%20technology%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESize%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Four%20employees%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Pre-seed%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
MATCH RESULT
Liverpool 4 Brighton and Hove Albion 0
Liverpool: Salah (26'), Lovren (40'), Solanke (53'), Robertson (85')
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
EA Sports FC 26
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3/5
Match info
Uefa Nations League A Group 4
England 2 (Lingard 78', Kane 85')
Croatia 1 (Kramaric 57')
Man of the match: Harry Kane (England)
SPECS
Engine: Two-litre four-cylinder turbo
Power: 235hp
Torque: 350Nm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Price: From Dh167,500 ($45,000)
On sale: Now
