A French stuntman famous for airborne feats using jetpacks and carbon-fibre wing packs has been killed in a training accident in Dubai.

Vincent Reffet was part of the company Jetman Dubai. The 36-year-old went viral for flights over the Gulf city’s waterfront and the Alps.

A statement said Reffet died “during training in Dubai” but did not give any further details. An investigation into the death is now under way.

“Vince was a talented athlete, and a much-loved and respected member of our team,” the statement said. “Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and all those who knew and worked with him.”

Reffet was the child of skydivers and had performed numerous stunts throughout his career, including BASE-jumping off the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa.

He became well known for his flights with Jetman Dubai, created by the Swiss pilot Yves Rossy – himself known as “Jetman”. Rossy’s equipment allows the group’s pilots to fly at speeds of up to 250mph (402km/h).

“Everything we do is something new,” Reffet told AFP news agency in an interview last month. “We have so many dreams and life is so short.”

Reffet’s exploits often went viral on social media, including one occasion when he jumped from a mountain into a moving plane with colleague and fellow Frenchman Fred Fugen.