Bid to cross Channel on ‘flyboard’ fails

French inventor Franky Zapata has failed to cross the English Channel on his jet-powered flyboard today, after he missed a boat-mounded refuelling platform.

French inventor Franky Zapata has failed to cross the English Channel on his jet-powered flyboard today, after he missed a boat-mounded refuelling platform.

The issue is reported to have happened 10 minutes into the record attempt from Calais to Dover.

The bid was taking place on the 110th anniversary of Louis Bleriot’s 1909 channel crossing – the first time anyone had crossed the channel in a heavier-than-air aircraft.

Ahead of the challenge, Zapata had said he believed he had a 50% chance of success with the crossing. He is said to have landed in the water uninjured.

Earlier this month, Zapata appeared at France’s Bastille Day celebrations. Watch that here:

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