Technology

Man Who Flew Like a Bird in Viral Video Admits Farce Was Part of Online Experiment

A few days ago, we brought you the too-good-to-be-true story of Jarno Smeets who realized his dream of flying like a bird by building his own wings. It was an endeavor that he chronicled in both blog posts and video clips on his website Human Birdwings for eight months.

Shortly after the video of his second test flight of the wings went viral — it has more than 3 million YouTube hits — it was called out as a fake by experts in the film industry. There were also questions raised about his identity and resume.

Now Smeets, or shall we say Floris Kaayk, has admitted it was all an elaborate hoax. Wired reports that Kaayk gave a tell-all interview on a Dutch TV show where he said he is really a filmmaker and animator by trade — not a mechanical engineer as he is described on his blog. He also said that this project was part of an “experiment about online media.”

Filmmaker Admits Fly Like a Bird Video Really a Hoax, Online Experiment

Floris Kaayk spoke about the hoax on a Dutch TV show.

Here‘s Kaayk’s revealing interview (Note: It’s in Dutch so turn on the closed captions):

Kaayk said the experiment was to show how you can tell a good story through a blog. And boy was it good. Kaayk, posing as Smeets, worked on the project actively for eight months, wrote about 17 blog posts and developed more than detailed 10 videos to go along with them. Not to mention actually building the contraption and making a video to look like he actually flew it. He also had several helpers on the project who made it look even more like a legitimate operation. The computer-graphics imagery experts who weighed in on Wired and Gizmodo stated that while they found evidence it was a hoax, they said was a pretty good one. The host of the Dutch show even says Mythbusters found the hoax well done.

Filmmaker Admits Fly Like a Bird Video Really a Hoax, Online Experiment

One of Kaayk's many designs on Human Birdwings.

Filmmaker Admits Fly Like a Bird Video Really a Hoax, Online Experiment

CGI experts found this image a bit too blurry for their taste, leading them to think the video was a fake -- and it was.

Kaayk also fooled a professor he asked about some of his designs into thinking he was pretty serious about flying. Wired reports:

“He wanted to chase a dream, as most artists do. He wanted to inspire people and I think he succeeded,” said neuromechanics scientist Bert Otten of the University of Groningen. “As an artist he has succeeded, but he has fooled most of us. We all want to fly, don’t we?”

Kaayk reached out to Otten in August 2011 to ask him about the mechanics of flight. Otten said he was not in on the hoax, and that he believed Kaayk — then “Jarno Smeets” — earnestly wished to fly.

“Although this kind of flight is possible in principle, he must have known early on that it would be impossible for him and that he had to fake it. It’s pretty fantastic that he made us believe that we were on to something.”

According to Kaayk’s website, he graduated cum laude at the animation department of the St. Joost Academy and received his Master of Fine Arts degree at the Sandberg Institute. As Smeets, he said he attended Coventry College, which Wired debunked. 

Were you duped?

Comments (32)

  • Carborendum
    Posted on April 20, 2012 at 6:13pm

    What pulled me in was that they said it was battery powered — that the pilot only contributed about 5% of the power to fly this thing. That was about right.

    Then I looked at the proportions of the wings to the size of the man. It looked to be somewhat reasonable.

    My only question was how much the contraption weighed that would need additional wingspan. But none of that info was supplied. So, I put it in the “maybe” category.

    Report Post »  
  • BostonHarold
    Posted on March 23, 2012 at 5:00pm

    He was an artist chasing his dreams. Nancy Pelosi would approve.

    Report Post »  
  • okredstate
    Posted on March 23, 2012 at 11:33am

    Wake up folks. He now professing that it was a hoax, but it really was’t, it was real. When will you all ever wise up?

    Report Post »  
  • Glenfin
    Posted on March 23, 2012 at 7:49am

    I gotta admit……he had me from ‘hello’! LOL!!

    Report Post »  
  • piper60
    Posted on March 22, 2012 at 11:50pm

    This sounds like something that Obama would not only believe, but would give a stimulus grant for.

    Report Post » piper60  
  • chingachgook
    Posted on March 22, 2012 at 11:16pm

    The thing that had me thinking was the average condor has a wing span of 9.5′ with a weight of 23 pounds if the weight of the man was 150 he should need something like a 61 foot wing span. I know this is not exact science but the proportion should be in the ballpark so to speak.

    Report Post »  
    • BostonHarold
      Posted on March 23, 2012 at 4:58pm

      …and monster pecs to sustain the flapping energy. It’s why little birdies are all chest!

      Report Post »  
  • Zwiseguy
    Posted on March 22, 2012 at 10:57pm

    Dang… had hoped to have a go.

    Report Post » Zwiseguy  
  • littlefish
    Posted on March 22, 2012 at 9:45pm

    Obama would put 100 billion in this GREEN technology . .. . .wow . . .. .it failed ?
    Well Henry Ford wouldn’t have succeeded with out Government subsidies now would he ?

    Report Post » littlefish  
  • dreardon31
    Posted on March 22, 2012 at 9:02pm

    Its not surprising that anyone from a socialist state would invent anything that ingenious.

    Report Post » dreardon31  
    • dreardon31
      Posted on March 22, 2012 at 9:06pm

      Its not surprising that anyone from a socialist state would NOT invent anything that ingenious.

      Report Post » dreardon31  
    • Mr.Fitnah
      Posted on March 22, 2012 at 9:16pm

      Would you please make up your mind?

      Report Post » Mr.Fitnah  
  • Chuck Stein
    Posted on March 22, 2012 at 8:30pm

    I was fooled. I had my doubts, but the story did say that he used a motor to do most of the flapping, so that put doubts aside. One thimg I thought was odd as well: all of the vulgarity when he had supposedly just accomplished this amazing feat. Seemed too crass for such a wonderful event (or non-event as it turns out).

    Report Post »  
    • TomFerrari
      Posted on March 22, 2012 at 9:19pm

      Ditto.
      The motor threw me, too, but, even then I couldn’t understand how he got that much power out of that small a device.

      In the state the world is in, I think we WANT to find good things and good people.
      This serves to teach us that about ourselves. Beware!

      Report Post » TomFerrari  
  • paperpushermj
    Posted on March 22, 2012 at 7:53pm

    Mary when did you figure this out?

    Report Post » paperpushermj  
    • marybethelizabeth
      Posted on March 22, 2012 at 9:56pm

      They removed my post that was comparing theblaze to The Weekly World News not only because of this story but because of the UFO story that has had the top position on the website all day. Theblaze frequently prints such fakery (re: yesterdays Bono story and many others).

      I wrote that I think the sensationalized headlines not only desensitize the readers but also the website editors as to what is an important story. Mayb this is why they are making bad choices.

      I hope I said that as it would be unwise to trust The Weekly World News for political analysis theblaze also can not be trusted, but I probably didn’t get expressed clearly in my deleted post.

      Report Post » marybethelizabeth  
  • paperpushermj
    Posted on March 22, 2012 at 7:48pm

    An Experiment in what? That if you lie and Fabricate material to support your lie, some people will believe you. Trust me Politicians have know about this for quite some time.

    Report Post » paperpushermj  
  • SR1911man
    Posted on March 22, 2012 at 7:16pm

    He says it was an experiment in art.
    Was I fooled? Yes.
    Did I feel foolish when I discovered it was fake? yes.
    Did I let it take away the childhood-reminiscent breath-catches-in-your-gut euphoric feeling I had when I saw him lift off? Now way.

    Thanks for bring back a piece of my childhood dreams, dude.

    Report Post » SR1911man  
    • SR1911man
      Posted on March 22, 2012 at 7:20pm

      Sounds like all the negative people on here are more mad that they got duped than anything…

      Report Post » SR1911man  
    • paperpushermj
      Posted on March 22, 2012 at 7:51pm

      I don’t like being lied to.

      Report Post » paperpushermj  
  • youdidthis
    Posted on March 22, 2012 at 7:11pm

    THEY ARRIVED Huge UFOs caught on Telescope 2011
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XW6HTxCSqss&feature=plcp&context=C4b5f6d6VDvjVQa1PpcFNMRzNgHU7ndVUADbWMCL5M2lUUr4tK170%3D

    ignorant much?

    Report Post »  
  • TiocFaidhArLa
    Posted on March 22, 2012 at 6:57pm

    Yet the blaze didnt verify the story before they reported it….

    Report Post »  
  • lukerw
    Posted on March 22, 2012 at 6:49pm

    Socialist Science & Productivity: BUSY PRODUCING NOTHING!

    Report Post » lukerw  
  • RugDog
    Posted on March 22, 2012 at 6:39pm

    I hope someone punches this jerk in the face. What a maggot loser.

    Report Post » RugDog  
  • Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra
    Posted on March 22, 2012 at 6:34pm

    Made you look. I am still waiting for Obama to make a simular announcement. Come on, this has to be a joke? Right?

    Report Post » Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra  
  • Babci
    Posted on March 22, 2012 at 6:31pm

    What a waste of time and a life…

    Report Post » Babci  
  • TomFerrari
    Posted on March 22, 2012 at 6:29pm

    Got me! Hook line and sinker.

    Arrrrrrrrrgggghhhh

    Report Post » TomFerrari  
    • Skrewedretiree
      Posted on March 22, 2012 at 6:51pm

      You’re not alone. This puke should be prosecuted. But: Even DaVinci thought it was possible…..

      Report Post » Skrewedretiree  

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