This video from October 2005 captures Finnish skydiver Vesa Lehtmäki preparing and executing a pioneering jet-powered wingsuit jump. Early in the clip at 0:18, when asked what he plans to do with the custom boot-mounted mini turbines, he smiles and answers, "Fly. I like flying." After testing the screaming turbine engines and fuel lines on the ground at 0:48—complete with a test fire behind a trailer—he straps into his jumpsuit, dons a spiked helmet, and ascends in a hot air balloon.
At 1:42, high above Finland, Vesa ignites the boot jets while standing on the basket's outer platform. The intense turbine whine fills the audio as he steps off at 2:01, using the jet thrust and wingsuit to maintain level flight across the sky. After landing safely near a highway, he proudly recounts the feat at 2:35, explaining that he jumped from 2,200 meters and maintained level flight at 2,000 meters for about thirty seconds until his fuel tanks ran completely dry.
It's a fantastic snapshot of early extreme sports ingenuity, filmed long before jetpacks became a common viral spectacle. The raw DIY feel—from zip-tying fuel lines to starting miniature jet engines on a patch of lawn—gives the entire experiment an authentic, thrill-seeking energy that remains incredible to watch.