Flying jet suits on display at Special Forces convention in Tampa

TAMPA, Fla. - Those in downtown Tampa on Tuesday may have seen what appeared to be the superhero "Iron Man" flying around the Tampa Convention Center. 

It wasn't the famous hero, but a person flying a real life jet suit created by Gravity Industries. 

"It is a bit like that dream of flying," said Richard Browning, the founder of Gravity Industries.

Browning is the "Tony Stark" behind these 1500 horsepower, 3D printed jet suits, and now, they're on display at this year's Special Forces conference in Tampa.

"If you combine each arm with the back, it is like a three-legged camera tripod," Browning said. "When you point them down you rise up and when you spread them apart you come down and all the rest is as intuitive as biking and skiing."

Pilots can fly as high as 12,000 feet and reach speeds in excess of 80 miles an hour. Average flight time is three and a half to five minutes. Still, that's plenty of time for most missions they could be used for.  

Browning describes everything from medical rescues to military applications.  

"When it comes to special and elite force mobility things like raiding and sabotage, maritime boarding," Browning said. "We're training several allied Special Forces, and the reason we're flying the Ukrainian flag is we were in Ukraine only about 10 days ago."

On the battlefields of today and tomorrow soldiers flying like superheroes isn't just a movie fantasy any longer. The suits can cost around $500,000. 

Gravity Industries also offers civilian training flights as well for about $3,500 per person.