The shots are breathtaking: a soldier flies with a jet pack from a rubber dinghy onto a moving warship.
The clip, reminiscent of scenes from Marvel or Star Wars heroes Iron Man and Boba Fett, has delighted users on social networks and Reddit.
Numerous users see, comment on and share the video – including US comedian Josh Wolf.
But what is the clip all about? Are the recordings really real?
The video of a man flying from an inflatable boat onto a warship is real – but not all the details are correct.
The clip is published on Youtube by Gravity Industries, the manufacturer of the so-called “Gravity Jet Suit”.
The recordings are images from a test flight that was implemented with the help of the British Navy.
But contrary to what is claimed in numerous posts, the jet suit pilot is not a soldier – but a test pilot from the manufacturer. The Royal Navy made this clear in a press release.
The error apparently stems from the fact that the original video was misleadingly titled “Royal Marines Jet Suit Getting Started Exercise”.
The case shows how easily inaccurate headlines can lead to consequential errors in video distribution.
A civilian test pilot becomes a soldier who supposedly flies a jetpack.
How do we check videos for manipulation in the editorial office? It is important to look at the details. The individual frames of a video often reveal whether a video has been edited. We take a close look at each image and enlarge individual sections. Indications of a fake are, for example: lack of motion blur, unnatural shadows or editing errors. The general rule at stern is: Seriousness before speed. We always double-check facts and material thoroughly before publishing them. For this we work with the cross-editorial “Team Verification” together with RTL, NTV, RTL2, Radio NRW.