Was it a bird? Was it a plane? No, it was Jetman, aka Yves Rossy, flying across the Corniche in a jet pack yesterday as hundreds of youngsters looked up in awe.
"When you're in an airplane, it's as though you're in a box," the former pilot said. "After I went skydiving and experienced free falling, I truly felt what it means to fly."
Jetman's demonstrations were part of the nine-day Abu Dhabi Science Festival, which includes workshops, exhibitions and demonstrations around the city.
National Geographic Al Arabiya is a media partner for the festival, which ends on November 26.
Among the attractions is a tent set up on the Corniche, themed "1001 Inventions", which features inventions that were discovered during the Islamic Golden Age.
"It's important the younger generation understands the major contributions to science that this part of the world has made," said Daniella Melikian, a science communicator.
[ mismail@thenational.ae ]